No Day But Today
by acsbabyangelgirl
Summary: A year after the play ends... Mark's learning to cope with a loss, and losing something he never thought he'd miss.
1. Chapter 1

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mimi watched in silence from the bed as Roger stared out the window. It had been a year since her near-death experience, and Roger still tended to be depressed this time of year. She'd done everything she could to help him, but nothing seemed to work.

"Baby, come to bed," she said, getting up and walking up behind him. He turned to wrap his arm around her.

"I was just thinking…" he began.

"I know. It'll be a year next week," she said. "You've been depressed ever since Halloween. Please just talk to me." Roger turned around and hugged her to his chest.

"I'm so sorry… we'll talk in the morning, okay? I promise," he said. He kissed the top of her head and led her back to their bed. They both laid down and Roger held Mimi as they both fell asleep.

* * *

Joanne watched silently from the couch as Maureen bounced off the walls. She'd been like this ever since they'd gotten home from the Life Café, where Maureen had eaten more sugar than she thought was humanly possible. "Maureen, please. Just calm down for a little while, before you hurt yourself," Joanne said.

"Oh, Pookie, you're no fun! C'mon, dance with me!" Maureen called.

"Maureen, it's three in the morning. If you don't go to bed, you're going to wake up in the morning sick to your stomach with a massive headache," Joanne told her.

"I didn't have any alcohol, baby. Just a lot of sugar."

"You've never heard of a sugar hangover?"

* * *

Mark lay in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. It had been a bad year for him. He'd dated a girl named Jennifer for a while, but she'd left him after she found out that his two roommates were HIV positive. His mother had been diagnosed with cancer, and it wasn't looking good. She'd been in the hospital for several days already, and his father had been calling constantly. Mark had a bus ticket home for the next morning. It was the end, and everyone knew it.

The phone began to ring, but Mark didn't move to answer it. That's what the machine was for. "SPEAK."

"Mark, it's Dad. Things are looking worse… Jeff's on his way to get you, he'll be there about six." Mark got up and went to the phone. He picked it up.

"I'm here, Dad."

"Mark… good."

"How is she?" Mark asked.

"It'll be cutting it close for you to get here in time. She's been asking for you," his dad said.

"I know, Dad. I've been trying to get there, but its hard. I had to get a loan from Joanne to buy a bus ticket."

"Just get here, Mark. That's all she wants," his father told him.

"I'll be there, Dad. Tell Mom I love her, and to hold on. I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

Roger opened the sliding door of the loft and went in. "Mark? You here?" he called. Collins came out of Mark's room.

"He left, man. Went home," Collins replied, holding up a letter. "He left this for you. Says he'll be back as soon as he can make it. It's the end."

"I didn't know things were that bad… I knew she was sick."

"He kept it inside… you know how he is. He tries to keep everything in," Collins said.

"Yeah. Especially after Jennifer." Roger sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I wish there was something we could do for him."

* * *

"I don't feel so good," Maureen moaned. Joanne smiled and shook her head.

"I hate to say it, but I told you so," she replied. Maureen shot her the evil eye. "Go back to sleep, baby. You'll feel better later."

"Have you heard from Mark?" she asked.

"No. I called Roger this morning, and he said that Mark left in the middle of the night. Apparently it's really bad," Joanne told her. "Mark didn't tell them how bad it was."

"He's always keeping things bottled up. Roger of all people should know that." Maureen sat up and sighed. "I'll call his parents house later tonight, see what's going on."

"I have to go," Joanne said. "I'll see you tonight."

* * *

Mark stared out the passenger window of Jeff's car. The two of them had never really talked much. He was Cindy's husband, but he and Mark never really spent any time together, at least not until today.

"Cindy and the kids have really missed you. We were all hoping you'd show up the past couple of Christmases," Jeff said. Mark sighed.

"Money's been tight. Shit's happened," Mark replied. He wasn't really in the mood to talk, but Jeff didn't seem to be getting the hint.

"Mark, Cindy and I would have helped you out if you'd asked," Jeff said. Mark just nodded.

"I've just had a lot to deal with lately… Roger and Maureen needed me."

"Maureen broke up with you," Jeff reminded.

"For Joanne, yeah I know. Especially seeing as I was the dumpee. But that doesn't mean that she isn't still my friend," Mark replied. Jeff just shook his head.

"You two broke up more than two years ago, but she still has you whipped."

"I'm not whipped. Just overly helpful, to the point of masochistic."

* * *

Maureen rummaged through a bag, trying to find the paper that she'd written the Cohen's phone number down on. She really wanted to check on Mark, but the stupid sugar headache was preventing her from operating like a normal human being.

"Hey Maureen, I'm home!"

"I'm in the closet. I need your help," Maureen replied. Joanne walked in and surveyed the mess. "I can't find the damn number." Joanne just shook her head and pulled a Post-It note off of the wall.

"I put it on the wall, right next to your coat. So you wouldn't forget," Joanne told her, handing over the paper.

"Oh. Thanks," Maureen said, looking down at the number. She got up out of the floor and went to the phone. She dialed as Joanne began cleaning up her mess. After three rings, Mark picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Marky! It's Maureen."

"Oh thank God… someone with a brain," Mark sighed. Maureen shook her head.

"Scarsdale's that bad?" she asked.

"Yeah. She… she went this morning. We talked some. Or, I did at least. She really couldn't… I'll be back as soon as the funeral's over," he said.

"Roger's worried. And Collins. We all are," she told him.

"I'll be okay. I'll see you guys soon."

A/n: What do y'all think? My first RENT fic, so please bear with me. I'm still having to keep the libretto handy, just in case I screw something up.


	2. Chapter 2

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mark hung up the phone and rested his head against the wall. He felt bad lying to Maureen… he was anything but fine. He looked like hell warmed over, and he felt like it too. He'd lost his mom. The only person in his family he could actually tolerate once in a while. Cindy and Jeff were always ragging him about being single, telling him he should settle down, find a nice Jewish girl, get married and have the requisite 2.3 children. His father was too saturated with alcohol to even notice that he'd come home.

"Mark, Cindy wants you to go with her to the funeral home to pick out a casket," Jeff said, coming in. Mark just nodded.

"Tell her I'll be there in a sec." Jeff just nodded and left him alone to stew in his own misery.

* * *

"What do you think about this one?" Cindy asked. Mark sighed.

"It's fine. Just like the last fifty we looked at," he replied. He hated shopping in general, but this was just about enough to make him think Roger's ex, April, had the right idea in committing suicide.

"Mark, take this seriously, please. This is for Mom," Cindy said. Mark just shook his head.

"I don't want to do this now, Cindy. I can't do this now," he replied, walking out of the showroom and into the hall. Cindy followed him.

"Mark, I can't do this without you. Mom would have wanted you to help," Cindy said.

"Mom would have left me at home with Dad, because at least she understood that I hate to shop for anything. She was the only person in this whole damn family who ever understood me. Now she's gone, you've got Jeff, Dad's got his liquor cabinet and his secretary, and I'm left with nothing," Mark replied. Cindy just shook her head. "Yeah, Cin. Dad's been dating his secretary. Since I was fourteen… the drinking isn't because of Mom, it's him drowning his guilt about all these years."

"You're lying. You've always been set on destroying this family, ever since your bar mitzvah. You got pissed because I got all the attention because I was sick," Cindy accused. "Why don't you stop being so damn selfish and grow up. Act like an adult for once in your pitiful life."

"I don't know why I even bother with this family any more," Mark said, walking out of the funeral home. He hailed a cab and went back to the house, throwing his things back in his bag and then walking to the bus stop. He bought a one way ticket to New York and didn't look back.

* * *

Roger got up and grabbed his baseball bat at the sound of the loft door opening. He slowly walked into the main room, before dropping the bat at the sight of Mark. "God, man, you scared the shit out of me." Something wasn't right. Roger could tell from the way Mark just stood there, staring. Without saying a word, Mark's knees buckled and he fell to the floor. "Mark?" Roger ran over to where his friend was slumped against the ragged old couch. He fell to his knees and tried to help his friend up. "C'mon, Mark, let's get you up on the couch," he said. Mark attempted to help, but he was barely capable of holding his head up. Finally, Roger managed to drag Mark onto the couch.

"I'm sorry," Mark said. Roger could tell from his voice that something was wrong. "God, it hurts."

"What hurts?" Roger asked. He was growing more concerned the longer he listened to his friend's breathing. Roger recognized that he was having a fair amount of difficulty with the task.

"Breathe," Mark mumbled. Roger just nodded. "Help."

"Okay, man. Help's coming," Roger said. He went over to the phone and dialed 911 as Collins emerged from his room.

"What's going on?" he asked. Roger shoved the phone into his hands.

"Mark's sick." Roger rushed back to the smaller man's side. "Collins is getting help, okay man? Just hang on."

* * *

Maureen jumped at the sound of the ringing phone. She looked at the clock and groaned, before picking it up. "Hello?" she asked.

"Maureen, it's Roger," a voice replied.

"Roger, why are you calling here at this ungodly hour?" she asked.

"Mark showed up a few hours ago. He's really sick," Roger said. She sat up and began running around, trying to get dressed as she talked.

"What's wrong?"

"They haven't told us anything yet. We're at the emergency room… I think he's had a falling out with his family. We're all he's got now."

"We'll be there as soon as we can," Maureen said. She hung up the phone before attempting to wake Joanne.

A/n: Well aren't y'all lucky. Two in one night.


	3. Chapter 3

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Sorry about forgetting the spacers in the last chapter. I'll try to fix that ASAP!

Roger walked into the hospital room and sighed. He'd been there for the past three days, hoping for Mark to get better. He still looked like shit, and nothing seemed to be working at all. Roger shook his head and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

"Maybe you should go home for a while… get some sleep," Maureen suggested from across the room. "I'll stay with him. Besides, it would be really bad for you to end up in here, too."

"I'm fine," Roger said. Maureen shook her head.

"Roger, you look like hell warmed over. At least go home and take a shower," she replied. Roger ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"Fine," he said, standing up. "Call me if anything changes."

* * *

Mimi sat on Mark and Roger's couch, with Roger's head in her lap. "I'm scared," he said. "Mark's supposed to outlive all of us… he's not supposed to get this sick."

"I know. He'll be okay, Rog. It's pneumonia, and he's strong," Mimi replied, running her fingers through Roger's wet hair. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I need to go get ready for work."

"I wish you'd find somewhere else," Roger said. She smiled.

"I've looked, babe. The Cat Scratch is it for now," she replied. She thought it was cute that he worried about her. "You should get some sleep."

"I need to get back," Roger relied. "They'll lock me out for the night if I'm not there."

"Roger, you need to take care of yourself too. Mark'll be okay for one night without you," Mimi said. "Besides, Maureen's with him."

"It's just… he was always there for me, during withdrawals and everything. Now he needs me," Roger replied.

"But you aren't going to be any help to him if you get sick," Mimi reasoned. Roger just nodded.

"Okay." Roger sat up and turned to kiss her. She returned the favor and got up to change. Roger went into his bedroom and lay down on the bed. Surprisingly, he was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

* * *

"Hey Pookie," Maureen said, brushing the hair out of Mark's face. "How're you feeling?"

"Like shit," he muttered. She smiled and held his hand.

"You'll start feeling better soon. Your fever's breaking," she said. He just nodded and closed his eyes again.

"Where's Roger?" he asked.

"I made him go home and get some sleep. He's been here for three days straight," Maureen said. Mark nodded.

"Good." He opened his eyes. "You didn't call Cindy, did you?"

"No, Marky. We weren't sure you'd want her to come," Maureen said. Mark just nodded.

"Thanks."

* * *

Roger slid the door of the loft open, expecting to see Benny. Instead, Cindy glared back at him. "Where's my brother, Davis?"

"Not here. I don't think he really wants to see you, either," Roger replied. Cindy just shook her head.

"Tell me where he is, or I'm going to stay here until he shows up," Cindy said, pushing her way into the apartment.

"You'll be here a while," Roger said, crossing his arms and standing by the door. "He won't be home for a few days at least."

"Roger, tell me where he is."

"The hospital. But like I said, he doesn't want to see you," Roger told her.

"Why the hell is he in the hospital?" she asked.

"He has pneumonia. Has since he got back from Scarsdale," Roger told her. "In case you didn't realize, he had to walk here from the bus depot. Twenty blocks. In the middle of December."

"If he wasn't being such an ass, that wouldn't have happened," Cindy said. Roger just shook his head.

"God, Cindy, do you not get it! There's a reason Mark doesn't go home for Christmas, and it isn't because of money or anything else he might have told you. He can't stand you! Hell, the only person in your whole family he could stand was your mom, and now she's gone!" Roger yelled. He and Cindy had never gotten along well.

Cindy looked taken aback. "He never…"

"You never let him. You've never listened to him, Cindy," Roger replied.


	4. Chapter 4

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Roger took a deep breath before leading Cindy into Mark's hospital room. He knew he was about to get his ass kicked by Maureen and Joanne, but he didn't really care. Cindy and Mark needed to reconcile before anything else could happen.

"Hey Rog," Mark said. He didn't notice his sister coming in, but Maureen certainly did. She got up and walked over to Roger.

"What the hell are you thinking bringing her here," she hissed, glaring at Cindy.

"Just trust me, Mo," Roger said. He plastered on a smile and walked closer to Mark's bed, leaving Cindy next to the door with Maureen. "I brought someone to see you." Cindy went over to the bed, glad to be out of Maureen's reach.

"Hey little brother," she said, smiling. Mark turned to look out the window.

"Why are you here? Want to accuse me of being a brat in front of all my friends, too?" he asked bitterly. Her smile faded.

"Mark, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to you," Cindy said. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "If anything, you should have been saying those things to me." He refused to look at her. "Mark, please. I don't want to fight with you anymore. I'm not going to lose you, too."

"Cindy, don't start with this shit again. Every time we have a fight, you pull this. I'm sick of it, because as soon as I agree to give you another chance, you go back to treating me the exact same way you did before," Mark said. He began coughing violently, causing Maureen to rush to his side.

"Cindy, maybe you should just go," she said, shooting daggers at the other woman. Cindy obliged, and Roger went after her, leaving Maureen with Mark.

"Cindy, I'm sorry," Roger said, stopping her at the end of the hall. "I didn't think he'd take it that bad."

"It wasn't your fault. I knew this was a bad idea before I even started driving down here. Tell Mark I'll send him some money at the beginning of the month," she said, leaving. Roger raked his fingers through his hair and sighed, returning to the room.

"What the hell were you thinking, bringing her here?" Maureen asked as he walked back in. She was still at Mark's side.

"I didn't know things were that bad," Roger replied.

"Cut him some slack, Mo. He didn't know the problems with Cindy," Mark told her. She just shook her head and sighed.

"God, I need a cigarette," she muttered, grabbing her jacket and leaving.

"I really didn't mean to upset you, Mark," Roger said. "What the hell happened to you two? I thought things were okay between the two of you."

"There's just too much in the past, and it really needs to stay there," Mark replied. He closed his eyes. "You should go… Collins said there's a meeting this afternoon. They've missed you." He paused. "We all have." Roger shook his head and sat down in the chair.

"I can't believe myself. I've had my head shoved up my ass the past few months, I guess," Roger said. "It's a shitty two months for me."

"For all of us… we lost Angel, too. And we were there when we almost lost Mimi."

"I guess I haven't been the best friend I'm supposed to be lately, huh?" Roger asked. He took Mark's hand. "I feel bad… it's always left up to you to fix things for the rest of us. None of us ever really thought about what we were doing to you."

* * *

Three days later, Roger helped Mark up the stairs to the loft. "God, you've lost weight," Roger muttered. "When was the last time you actually ate a decent meal?"

"Like a week before I left for Scarsdale," Mark replied. Roger could tell he was getting winded.

"That was more than two weeks ago, Mark," Roger said.

"Yeah. I know. And I'm really sick of Cap'n Crunch."

"We'll get Collins to go find something decent to eat for dinner." Roger sighed as they reached the top floor of the building and their loft. "Not much further, man."

"Why couldn't we have rented the first floor apartment?" Mark asked. Roger smiled.

"Because we can't afford it, remember? Just like we can't afford the doctor's bills or the AZT." Before Mark could worry, he added, "But we'll find a way to pay. We always do."

"There's always my camera," he muttered. Roger shook his head.

"No way in hell. I'll beg my mom for money before I'll let you sell that damn thing," Roger replied. Mark shook his head.

"I've got a job, Roger. I don't have time for filmmaking anymore," Mark said.

"You're not going to give up. You were doing so well," Roger said. "Today 4 U was really popular."

"Yeah, because it played three times in a tiny ass theater?" Mark replied.

"It sold out twice." Roger decided to end the conversation, at least until he had Mark in the loft. "We can talk about this later, okay? You need to get some rest."

A/n: I swear, I'm not writing Mark/Roger slash. But they're best friends, and Roger's been so obsessed with helping Mimi stay clean, he hasn't really been paying attention to Mark… no one has.


	5. Chapter 5

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Wow. I was just reading some of Anthony Rapp's blogs on the movie site… I didn't know he'd lost his own mom to cancer. Anything that I've put in that sounds like Anthony's book, Without You is unintentional. I've only read the excerpt that's available on Amazon.

"You'll catch a cold out here," Mimi said, coming out onto the fire escape, where Mark had been camped out for the last hour. He and Roger had gotten into another argument over selling the camera; Roger wouldn't hear of it.

"So will you," was the caustic reply. She just shook her head and wrapped a blanket she'd brought out around his shoulders. "Do you mind? This is about as far from Roger as I can get, and if you're out here, he'll follow you soon."

"He went to meet Maureen and Joanne for lunch. And I thought you looked like you could use someone to talk to," Mimi replied. She and Mark weren't exactly the best of friends, but they both knew they could count on one another when it mattered.

"I miss her," Mark said, staring off down Avenue B.

"Your mom?" she asked. He nodded.

"I've even begun to miss the annoying phone calls every week… Cindy's too wrapped up in her life with Jeff to care, and I doubt my dad's been sober for more than an hour since she died." Mimi moved closer and wrapped an arm around him.

"It'll get better," she said. He just nodded.

"Yeah, it'll get better. But then my dad'll drink himself into liver failure and everything'll get screwed up again," Mark replied. "I can't take Cindy anymore. She's starting to act just like him… I'm scared for the kids."

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked. He just shook his head.

"We should go back inside. My toes are starting to go numb," he said, standing up and turning back towards the window. He ducked inside before Mimi could reply, and she had no choice but to follow.

"Mark, what did you mean when you said you were scared for Cindy's kids?" Mimi asked again. He just shook his head and headed into his room.

"Nothing. Just forget I said anything," he replied, shutting the door behind himself. She sighed and just sat down on the couch.

* * *

"SPEAK."

"Mark, it's Jeff… Cindy wanted me to call you… there was an accident, Mark…"

"Jeff? It's Mark."

"Thank God. I didn't want to do this to your answering machine," Jeff replied.

"What's happened now?" Mark asked, even though he really knew what Jeff was going to say.

"Your dad… he died this morning… alcohol poisoning," Jeff explained. Mark rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Jeff. Tell Cindy I can't make the funeral, okay?"

"Mark, don't do this… not now of all times," Jeff said. Mark just shook his head.

"Jeff, just mind your own damn business. I'm not coming, end of story," he replied. He started coughing again and had to put down the phone. When he finally managed to catch his breath, he returned to the conversation.

"Shit, Mark, what's happened?" Jeff asked.

"Just do me a favor, okay? Watch Cindy," Mark said, hanging up the phone. He ran his fingers through his messy hair and sighed.

"Mark…" Roger started. Mark turned around and smiled.

"I'm fine."

"We'll find the money if you want to go," Mimi told him.

"I don't."

"He's your father," Mimi said.

"And that's a fact I'd much rather forget," Mark told her. "I have really good reasons for wanting to stay as far away from my family as possible."

* * *

Maureen walked into the Life Café and smiled as she walked over toward the table where Mark had camped out. He'd desperately needed to get out of the loft and away from Roger and Mimi promising to find money so he could go back to Scarsdale.

"You want to talk?" she asked. He nodded.

"Jeff called this afternoon… my dad died this morning," he replied, staring down into his tea.

"I'm sorry Pookie," she replied.

"I'm not." He looked up at her. "There's just a lot of shit there."

"Wanna tell me why you're acting like your father's death is a good thing?" Maureen asked. Mark sighed and looked back down into his tea.

"I've never told anyone before. It's too personal…" Mark said. Maureen reached out and took his hand.

"I'm your friend, okay? Whatever you tell me goes no further," she told him. He nodded and took a deep breath before beginning.

"My dad was such a bastard… when I was thirteen, I caught him fucking his secretary in the bathroom at my Bar Mitzvah. My mom was at home with Cindy because she was sick, and on the way home he slapped me on the back of my head and said that if I ever told anyone what I'd seen, I'd get a lot worse," Mark told her. He forced a smile, but still didn't look at Maureen. "He ignored me for about three weeks after that." He sighed again. "Then he decided that I needed him to give me a good reason to keep quiet. From then on, whenever we were alone in the house, he'd yell at me… hit me if he thought he needed to. Cindy came home once… she just went into her room and ignored it."

"Mark…" she began. She couldn't think of anything else to say.

"When I was sixteen, we went on a camping trip… just the two of us. I told my mom I didn't want to go, but she wouldn't let me stay home… said we needed some father-son bonding time," he said, smirking at the thought. "He told my mom I tripped hiking out to the campsite."


	6. Chapter 6

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: I'm _really_ sorry about the language in this chapter. It's pretty foul in a few places, but you have to realize that Mark's pissed off at the world here… you'll understand that later. And I have to give a shout-out to Lanhar for giving me some much needed inspiration… it may not make it into this chapter, but it'll come soon.

Jeff knocked on the door to the loft for the second time in a month. He hated doing this to Mark, but it was his _father_.

"What are you doing here?" Roger asked, sliding the door open.

"I'm here to take Mark to Scarsdale for the funeral," Jeff replied.

"Good luck with that one," Roger said, moving over to let him into the loft. "If you can get him to go, I'd give you the million dollars I don't have." Mark walked out of his room.

"Mark, get dressed. We have to go to the funeral," Jeff said.

"Over my dead body," Mark muttered, going into the kitchen and pouring himself a bowl of Cap'n Crunch.

"Stop being an ass… your sister needs you," Jeff told him. He just laughed cynically.

"Stop being an ass? Cindy needs me? Cindy needs me as much as I need AIDS… did she ever tell you the story of the time she walked in while our dad was beating the shit out of me? Did she tell you the part where she just walked into her fucking room and let him keep on? How she never told anyone what the hell was happening in our house?" Mark asked. He put the box of cereal down.

"Stop lying," Jeff said. Mark just looked at him and shook his head in disgust.

"What? You want to see the scars from the time he beat me so fucking hard a doctor had to pin my fucking arm back together?" Mark asked, pulling up his sleeve.

"This isn't funny, Mark," Jeff replied. Roger was still watching the scene, trying to comprehend the words coming from Mark's mouth. "He was a good man."

"He was a bastard! A lying, cheating, abusive bastard!" Mark screamed.

"Jeff, just go," Roger said, pushing the man out of the loft. He turned around to face Mark as he closed the door. "Mark…"

"I don't want to talk about it." Mark found a spoon and began silently eating his cereal.

* * *

"Does anyone know where Mark is?" Paul asked, surveying the group.

"Locked in his room at t he loft," Mimi replied. She looked down at the floor. "He just lost his dad, too."

"Something's bothering you?" Paul asked. Mimi sighed.

"He quit telling us anything. He hasn't said a word since his brother-in-law showed up to take him to the funeral. Roger was there, but he won't talk about what happened, either. Mark's shutting everyone out, and Roger refuses to break his confidence, so of course no one else knows what the hell is going on with him."

"Do you always talk about me when I'm not around?" Mark asked. Mimi turned around to watch as he and Roger walked into the room.

"Welcome back, guys," Paul said. "Make yourselves comfortable." Roger sat down in his usual seat next to Mimi, forcing Mark into what had once been Angel's spot. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you, Mark?"

"You all don't need to listen to my problems," Mark replied.

"That's what we're here for," Sue said. "You always listen to us."

"It's not really important," Mark said.

"Not really important?" Roger smirked. "Understatement of the century."

"Shut up," Mark replied.

"No. I'm not going to let you wallow in your own self pity like the hypocrite you're trying to be," Roger said. "If you aren't going to say it, then I sure the hell will."

"Go ahead, because I really just don't give a shit anymore. I mean, what the hell does it matter, the bastard's dead anyway, right?"

"I assume you mean your father," Paul said.

"Yeah," Mark said. "He was an abusive son of a bitch." Mimi reached across Roger and took Mark's hand. He turned to her and smiled, the first genuine smile anyone had seen in the weeks since his mother's death.


	7. Chapter 7

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Just a warning for my readers… beyond this point I make no guarantees about how often you'll get updates. I'll write as much as I can over the next few days, but as of June 6th I won't be updating for a while. I doubt I will finish before that date, so it might take a while for me to finish this. And after that date I make no guarantees that any updates will make sense at all, because I'm probably going to be high on pain meds for a while… don't ask, it's too complicated.

Mark sat on the ratty old couch between Mimi and Collins, with Roger sitting in the chair. "So that's the whole story," he said, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry, guys. I should have told you before… I was… there was just too much going on. That was the last thing any of you needed to hear." Mimi gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"No, don't apologize. I should apologize to you for being such a pain in the ass for the past few years," Roger said. "I never really thought about anyone but myself, I guess."

"We all have problems, Rog. Yours were just the first that had to be dealt with," Mark said. He stood up. "I'm gonna go get some sleep. I've got to go back to work tomorrow."

"Who all knows? I mean, besides us," Collins said.

"Maureen… which means that if they're still on speaking terms, so does Joanne," Mark replied, smiling just a little. This was one time when he highly doubted he'd mind Maureen's big mouth.

"You can always talk to us, man. That's what family's for," Roger said. Mark nodded.

"I know."

* * *

"I forgot how heavy this shit was," Mark muttered, talking more to himself than the pretty female reporter. She was new, and Mark was having trouble remembering her name.

"Let me help with that," she said, smiling at him. He returned the smile as she took some of the camera equipment from him.

"Thanks. I'm Mark."

"Elizabeth. But call me Liz," the reporter replied. They stowed the equipment in the back of a van and climbed in to ride out to their location. "I haven't seen you around before… are you new?"

"No, I've been her for about eight months… I've just been sick," he replied. "Pneumonia. I thought I'd be okay walking 20 blocks in the snow two days after Christmas." She smiled.

"My brother tried that once… almost managed to get frostbite," she said. Mark smiled and shook his head.

"It's not exactly one of my proudest moments."

"I didn't think it was. So what would you consider a 'proud moment'?" she asked, attempting to make conversation.

"The day my documentary was shown in a theater for the first time," he said. He sighed. "It made it through three showings before they pulled it."

"What was it about?"

"People living with AIDS. My friends, mainly." She just nodded.

"Are you…" she started.

"No. Out of the seven of us, I'm one of just 3 who aren't. I guess I should say six, not seven," Mark said. "Angel died while I was still making it… she kind of ended up being the star."

"I'm sorry," Liz replied. She gently put her hand on his knee.

"It was a while ago," he said, shaking his head. "Okay, so now you have to tell me something about yourself, since you know so much about me."

"Okay," she said, thinking for a moment. "This is totally stupid, and it never leaves this van." Mark nodded in agreement. "When I was sixteen, I tipped a cow."

"All by yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah. My dad's a farmer, so I grew up lifting bales of hay, between ballet and gymnastics lessons," she said. He laughed. "It's true!"

"I didn't accuse you of lying!"

* * *

"Someone had a good day," Roger said, as he and Mimi watched Mark walk in and into his room, grin plastered on his face, without even acknowledging their presence. "Hey Mark, you're not high are you?"

"What do you think?" Mark replied.

"Either that's a yes, or he met a woman," Roger translated. Mimi giggled. "What's her name?"

"Liz." Roger sat up and turned towards Mark's bedroom door. "I was working with her today."

"Liz? As in Liz Gordon?" Roger asked.

"Yeah," Mark replied. He walked out of his room. "Why?"

"Nothing… I didn't say a word," Roger said, leaning back into the couch and smiling at Mimi.

"Oh no, you are not getting away that easily. Spill," Mimi said, poking him in the ribs.

"She's hot," Roger replied. Mark started laughing, as did Mimi. Roger just looked around the room, somewhat embarrassed.

"I'll be sure to tell her you think so highly of her," Mark said, when he finally stopped laughing. Just as he finished, he started into another coughing fit.

"You should really get that cough checked out, man. It still sounds really bad," Roger said.

"Yeah, well when we have the money to afford a doctor and your AZT, we'll talk about that."

A/n: Yay! One of my famous middle-of-the-night updates! It's 11:50 P.M. here!


	8. Chapter 8

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Dangit. I just found a typo in chapter 7. I'm too lazy to fix it.

"Oh God, what's he on?" Maureen asked, looking at Mark's giddy smile.

"He met someone," Mimi told her. "Some reporter who, according to Roger, is hot."

"Liz Gordon?" she asked.

"How did you know?" Mark asked.

"She's the only hot reporter on your show," Maureen said, raising her eyebrows. "Oooh, Marky, the two of you will make such a cute couple!"

"No, we won't, because we're just friends," Mark replied. Joanne crossed her arms.

"That means don't get involved, Maureen," she said, sensing her partner's desire to find a girlfriend for their friend.

"You two never let me have any fun," she said, sulkily. Joanne just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You'll have to excuse her. She's having her psychotic mood swings again," Joanne explained. Mark smiled, remembering well from his days as Maureen's boyfriend.

"Have fun with that," Mark said. He poured himself a bowl of Cap'n Crunch and began to eat. "Roger, if you buy another box of Cap'n Crunch, I'm going to kick your ass."

"Duly noted," he replied, walking into the room and collapsing onto the couch next to Mimi. Mark leaned back against the metal table in the "kitchen" and looked at the others.

"Okay, so someone want to let me in on why we're all here?" he asked.

"It's a secret," Maureen said, walking over to Joanne and wrapping her arms around the black woman. Mark shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"I hate secrets," he replied. Maureen smiled.

"You'll like this one. Trust me," she said. Mark rolled his eyes once again.

"I think that's the most dangerous thing you've ever wanted me to do."

* * *

"Come on, Mark," Maureen urged. She'd taken his glasses and covered his eyes with a blindfold. Roger and Collins were leading him to their destination.

"Mo, this isn't funny," he said. Of course, it seemed funny to everyone else. Finally they stopped, and Maureen pulled off the blindfold while handing over his glasses. He put them on and looked at what they had all been so excited to show him. A car. His father's old car. "This really isn't funny," he said, turning and walking away from the group.

"Mark, it's yours now," Joanne told him.

"I don't want it. Roger, why don't you take it and sell it to the guy who bought your car… we can use the money for doctor's bills," Mark said, not turning around to look at it. The five watched as he walked away, back towards the loft.

"I told you that was a bad idea," Roger said, turning to Maureen. "We should have just sold it to start with." He shook his head and began running after Mark.

"I'll take it to the car lot," Joanne said, taking the keys from Collins.

* * *

"You're going to the doctor, Mark. End of discussion," Roger said, throwing him his coat and scarf.

"Kiss my ass."

"If it'll make you go, gladly," Roger said. He pushed Mark out of the loft and drug him down the stairs.

"Roger, I'm fine, and if you don't let go of me I'll be late for work," Mark reasoned.

"I already called your boss and explained. She said that if you didn't go, she'd fire you," Roger replied. Mark stopped in his tracks.

"I can't believe you! Why the hell would you do something like that?" Mark asked.

"Because I know as well as you do that that's the only way in hell I was going to get you to go to the fucking doctor," Roger said. "Now come on."

"You're such a fucking ass," Mark muttered. But instead of resisting he followed Roger willingly.

* * *

Roger watched as Mark went into his room and slammed the door. According to the doctor, he had bronchitis. Which meant he would have to miss work… again.

"He's still pissed at you?" Mimi asked.

"Well, if the silent treatment is any indication, then I would have to say yes," Roger replied, sighing.

A/n: That's all for now. I've got some other things to work on for a while. Oooh, and if you liked the book _Born Blue_, you should totally check out _The Copper Elephant_ by Adam Rapp. Once you get used to the vocabulary and grammar, it's really good.


	9. Chapter 9

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Oh Lord, it's official… I'm a RENThead. My reason is – you judge driving time by how far through the CD you can get… For one of my friends, I can get all the way to "Another Day," and then get to the very end on the way home… and usually hear "Seasons of Love" a second time.

"So what's your excuse this time?" Liz asked, walking over to the van Mark was loading equipment into.

"Bronchitis," he said. She smiled.

"Okay, now you definitely remind me of my brother. The two of you catch everything," she said.

"Not really. I normally don't get sick," he replied. She just smiled and got into the van, Mark following behind her. "Okay, so you're a farm girl whose brother catches everything… what are you going to say to try surprise me now?"

"Why should I say anything?" she asked. He smiled.

"We're going to be in this van for a while. Gotta talk about something," he replied.

"Fine. But you go first," she said. Mark shook his head. "Oh all right, you win. I used to be a stripper at this seedy little club on Avenue A."

"The Cat Scratch Club?"

"Yeah… how did you know that?" she asked.

"I live in the old music publishing factory on Avenue B… and one of my roommates is a dancer there," he replied. Liz laughed.

"One of them? How many are there?" she asked.

"Three. Roger, Mimi, Collins and me," Mark replied.

"That sounds kind of crowded," Liz replied.

"Not really… Collins isn't home much, and Roger and Mimi tend to disappear pretty often," Mark said.

* * *

"Where's Roger?" Mark asked. The loft was unusually quiet, seeing as Collins was the only one there.

"Apparently, he got a job," Collins replied. "Bartending at the Cat Scratch."

"You're kidding."

"Do I look to you like I'm kidding?" Collins asked, smiling. "Didn't think the boy had it in him."

"Yeah, well, at least he finally decided to help out," Mark said. He took his scarf off and threw it into the open door of his room.

"Good point. Let's do something. I'm sick of grading papers," Collins said, referring to the pile on the coffee table. He'd taken a job at Columbia just after Christmas.

"Life Café with Maureen and Joanne?" Mark asked.

"Sure. Why don't you invite Liz?" Collins suggested. Mark shook his head.

"I don't have her number," Mark lied. She'd given it to him that day so he could call her to go over a mini-documentary she was wanting to make.

"You blush when you lie," Collins told him. "Call the girl! She might as well meet us now."

"Why would she need to meet you?" Mark asked. Collins rolled his eyes.

"Well I assumed that you'd eventually introduce the girl you're about to start dating to your friends," Collins said.

"I'm not about to start dating her."

"She gave you her phone number," Collins said.

"So we could talk about something we're working on… we work together, in case you forgot," Mark reminded him.

"Yeah, right. She likes you," Collins suggested. Mark rolled his eyes.

"We're friends." Collins shook his head.

"That girl's lookin for more than friendship, Cohen. Just call her," Collins said.

"Fine."

* * *

"They were seriously mooing?" Liz asked. Maureen and Joanne had just finished the story of Maureen's protest against CyberArts.

"Oh yeah. The cops were sweeping the lot, and all the homeless just sat down and started mooing like cows. I saw the whole thing," Joanne replied. "Mark got it on film, too."

"Oh my God, I have to see that," Liz said, turning to Mark, who just blushed.

"I sort of sold it… that's how I got the job at Buzzline," he replied.

"You should show her your documentary. He got part of the protest for it," Collins said. Mark just shook his head and smiled.

"You don't want to see it, really. It's really rough… I had to edit the whole thing by hand. It's really not that great," he said. Collins just laughed.

"Listen to him, trying to be all modest. You should just see it… it's great."

"Maureen, we should go. I have court in the morning," Joanne said, glancing at her watch.

"I need to work on the script for my new piece anyway. Bye Marky, Collins. It was so nice meeting you, Liz," Maureen said.

"I should get back to grading papers," Collins said, also standing up and following Joanne and Maureen out. Leaving Mark and Liz alone.

"Your friends are great," Liz said, smiling at Mark.

"Yeah. It's too bad Mimi and Roger couldn't be here," Mark replied, smiling back.

"I had fun tonight, Mark. The most fun I've had in a long time."

"Me too," he replied.


	10. Chapter 10

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Yeah, so Roger has a little bit of my personality in this first part… I had to have a good reason for him to get up, even though he'd worked the night before.

As the alarm droned on like always, Mark forced himself to get out of bed. He put on his glasses and threw a t-shirt on to disguise how thin he really was. The last thing he wanted first thing in the morning was to hear anyone nagging him to eat more. All he could think of was what his mother would say if she could see him. _Oh, Marky_. No, he wouldn't think about that. He wouldn't let himself get depressed about his mother again. Not now, when things were finally starting to go alright.

"Mark, turn off the fucking alarm!" Roger yelled. The walls in the loft had always been too thin. Mark obliged quickly, before leaving his room and going to the kitchen for breakfast. Thankfully, Roger had taken him seriously and started buying Frosted Flakes instead of Cap'n Crunch. Roger exited his room and walked over, taking the box of cereal and pouring himself a bowl.

"You could have gone back to sleep," Mark said.

"No, I couldn't. Once I'm up, I'm up. That's how it works," Roger replied. They were silent for a few moments as they munched on the Frosted Flakes.

"Collins told me you got a job. That's great," Mark said.

"Yeah, well, AZT doesn't pay for itself. It wasn't fair for me to expect you to pay," Roger replied. "Have you talked to Cindy lately?"

"I'd like to just ignore that subject for a little while longer, okay?"

"Sure. But I am always here, if you need to talk," Roger said. Mark nodded and put down his now-empty bowl.

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

Liz looked around her. She hadn't to this part of Alphabet City in years. "Wow. It's so different," she said. "I don't remember any of this."

"Yeah, well, it's home," Mark said, leading her into his building. They silently climbed the five flights of stairs and Mark slid open the door to the loft, only to be confronted by the sight of Roger and Mimi kissing on the couch.

"You know, the two of you have a room for a reason," Mark said, leading Liz into the room.

"But then we wouldn't have the fun of embarrassing you in front of your new friend," Roger said, smiling evilly. Mark just rolled his eyes and picked Roger's shirt up off of the floor and threw it his way.

"Just get dressed," Mark replied.

"Yes, Mom," Roger joked, without thinking. Then he remembered. "Oh fuck. Sorry man."

"Whatever." Mark walked over to the massive windows and ducked out onto the fire escape.

"Good going, ass," Mimi said, pulling away from Roger and following Mark out.

"I guess I've missed something," Liz said, looking out the window at Mimi trying to convince Mark to return to the loft.

"His mom died right before Christmas," Roger said, putting his shirt back on and sighing. "As you can tell, family is a taboo subject for him right now."

"I kind of noticed he never talked about them."

"His sister's the only one left, and they don't exactly talk anymore." Roger turned around and watched Mimi and Mark. "God, I'm such a fucking asshole.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, Mimi came back in and walked over to Roger. "We should get going. Work, and all," she said. Roger just nodded and followed her out, leaving Liz alone in the apartment with Mark still sitting out on the fire escape. She waited for a moment before going out to talk to him.

"You okay?" she asked. He just nodded and refused to look at her.

"I've had to stop hiding from grief," he said. "It's hard… I've had to deal with three deaths simultaneously. I bottled up everything I felt after Angel died, then I lost both of my parents within a month of each other. I'm just trying to not keep it bottled up any more, you know? I've always had to be the emotionless one, the one who keeps things together for everyone else. I just can't take it any more," he said. Liz silently put her arm around his shoulders.

"If it makes you feel any better, he called himself an asshole," Liz said. Mark smiled.

"Roger can be a little oblivious at times," Mark told her. "He also has a tendency to forget anything important."

"He seems like he means well," she replied.

"He usually does. But he says shit without thinking." Mark turned and looked at her. "But that's saved my ass so many times, I can't imagine not having him for a best friend."


	11. Chapter 11

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

"Roger, be quiet. You'll wake everyone up!" Mimi tried to whisper, giggling as Roger kissed her neck. She kissed him back and pulled him further into the loft. The began kissing again, Roger pulling her closer to him.

"You're the one who should be quiet," he replied, before kissing her so she couldn't reply. They were still standing there as the door to Mark's room opened and Liz came out, wearing one of Mark's shirts. She crossed the room silently and went into the bathroom as Mimi pulled away from the kiss. "What?"

"Was that who I think it was?" she asked, smiling.

"Who?"

"The woman who just walked out of Mark's room. Wearing nothing but his shirt and boxers," she replied. Roger turned and looked at the door, trying to see if Mark was inside.

"I didn't see her. Is he even in there?" Roger asked, pulling away from her. He walked closer to the couch, only to see an unfamiliar lump. "Now that wasn't there before," he said, being as loud as possible. Without warning, he sat down on top of the lump, causing Mark to groan in his sleep. "He's on the couch," he replied, not moving.

"That's so sweet," Mimi said, coming over and sitting in Roger's lap with a mischievous smile.

"God, Roger, you gained weight or something?" Mark asked, still half asleep. He attempted to push the two of them off, but gave up when he couldn't. "Get up, please," he muttered, still not opening his eyes.

"Your girlfriend is in your room and you're out here on the couch?" Roger asked.

"She isn't my girlfriend," Mark replied.

"Yet," Mimi told him. He opened his eyes and looked up at the two bodies residing on top of his legs.

"Guys, get off and let me sleep," he said. They obliged and he sat up, pushing back the blanket he'd been using and unwittingly letting them see just how thin he'd gotten.

"Shit, Mark. You look like you've lost more weight," Roger said.

"Haven't been hungry," Mark replied, standing up and walking to the bathroom door. Finding it locked, he leaned against the wall and waited silently.

"You look sick."

"I'm fine, Rog. Just drop it, okay?"

* * *

Mark opened the fridge, looking for some milk. "Hey, Collins, where did all this food come from?" he asked.

"I dunno. I thought you bought it," Collins replied. Mark scratched his head as he pulled out a carton of orange juice and poured some over his Frosted Flakes, since they didn't have any milk. "That right there is just plain fucking sick." Mark took a bite.

"It would be better with grape juice," Mark replied, eating another bite. Collins just shook his head and went back to the stack of papers he was grading. Roger silently walked out and into the kitchen, glancing in Mark's bowl as he went for one of his own. As he finished pouring his cereal, he did a double take and looked back into the bowl.

"What the fuck?"

"We're out of milk," Mark replied, eating the cereal anyway. Roger started laughing. "It isn't that funny."

"That looks so fucking disgusting," Roger laughed.

"It isn't that bad," Mark said, walking away and shaking his head. He grabbed his coat and slipped on his shoes before going out onto the fire escape to eat. Roger followed him shortly, after deciding that Frosted Flakes just weren't good dry and pouring some OJ on his own.

"You're right, it is pretty good," he said, sitting down next to Mark with his legs crossed. They watched the traffic going down Avenue B for a while. "Listen, I'm sorry about the Mom thing, man. And for trying to act like your mom."

"It's okay," Mark replied, drinking the leftover juice out of his bowl.

"No, it isn't. I was an ass."

"You were trying to make a joke. I should be apologizing for being such a baby about it," Mark said.

"You had every right to be hurt, Mark."

"You did buy this food, right?" Mark asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. I got paid last night, figured we needed something in the fridge," Roger said. "Besides, tips alone could cover our grocery bill. Once they're good and drunk, they don't tend to notice how much money they're leaving."

"Too busy watching your girlfriend dance?" Mark asked. Roger just rolled his eyes and flipped a spoonful of cereal and orange juice at Mark.

"You'd just better not be thinking any dirty thoughts like that, got me?" Roger asked, raising his eyebrows.

A/n: I've been wanting to make them have a cereal fight for several chapters… oh, and the orange juice thing… I've never actually done it, but I really want some OJ right now.


	12. Chapter 12

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: I was just watching some parts of the movie over again, and I found a blooper! In "La Vie Boheme," the cigarette (or is it a joint?) that Collins keeps behind his ear keeps disappearing, especially when he's talking about Maureen performing the "Native American tribal chants." And OMG, you should try watching it on fast forward… it's so funny! They sound like they're really hyped up on caffeine!

As the days went on, Roger and Mimi noticed several changes around the loft. Mark was walking around in a happy daze. Collins wasn't around much, but Liz seemed to be there every day. And of course, there were the answering machine messages from Cindy that Roger kept deleting before Mark could hear them. "You might as well ask her to move in," Roger said, one day when he and Mark were alone in the apartment. Mimi had gone to work, Collins had disappeared to wherever the hell he'd been going lately, and Liz was staying at her place because her parents were in town.

"Who?" Mark asked. Roger rolled his eyes.

"Liz, of course. She's already spending more time here than at her place," Roger told him.

"She doesn't really have any other friends in the city," Mark said. "She just doesn't like being alone. We don't have enough room for her to move in permanently."

"You still haven't asked her out?" Roger asked.

"She's not interested." Roger laughed at the idea.

"God, Mark, do I need to clean your glasses! The girl is all over you!"

"Why would someone like her want someone like me?" Mark asked.

"I don't know how love works. Or lust, or whatever the hell you want to call it. But I know that she feels it for you… and I think you feel the same way about her," Roger replied. Mark just shook his head.

"I'm not going to let myself get burned again."

"Then I guess you'll just spend the rest of your life miserable." And Roger hated himself for saying it, but at the same time hated Mark for making him say what everyone could see.

* * *

"Back to you, Robin," Liz said, plastering on a smile as she waited for the camera to be off of her.

"And we're clear!" Liz sighed and lowered the microphone, rolling her eyes.

"Thank God," she muttered, rolling up the mic cord and putting it back into the box. She picked the box up and then began walking back toward the van. "I would help, but yeah, heights," she said, not turning around. Mark smiled as he put the camera away. They were standing on a bridge, and her unprecedented fear of heights had taken over her ability to think. She'd actually had to write everything she was supposed to say on a cue card and read it to get through the report.

By the time Mark got everything back in the van, the rest of the crew was ready to go. He got in and smiled at Liz. "You okay?"

"Next time they tell me I'm doing a story on a bridge, I'm going to kick someone in the balls," she said, hiding her face in her hands. Mark laughed. "It isn't funny. My parents are still in town, and they're going to see that."

"You did fine. I couldn't even tell you were scared," Mark assured her. She looked at him and smiled. "Or that you were reading."

"Thanks." She reached into her bag and pulled out a cigarette. "Anyone mind if I smoke?" When no one replied, she lit it and took a long drag. "I normally don't smoke very often, but sometimes I've just got to have one. Especially after shit like that."

"Yeah," Mark said. He stared out the window, trying to keep gather up the courage to talk to her about something that had been bugging him ever since his conversation with Roger.

"You're still coming tonight, right?" she asked, watching him.

"What?" he asked, somewhat confused.

"Dinner. Didn't I ask you?"

"No," he replied. "I don't think so."

"Shit. I told my parents you were coming," she said. "You don't have any plans tonight, do you?" she asked.

"I guess I do now," he said. She reached over and hugged him.

"Oh thank God, you are such a life saver. If I have to spend one more night with 'Reginald' I'm going to puke."

"Reginald?"

"Our parents have been friends forever. And they've been trying to get the two of us together ever since we were born. They've invited him everywhere with us this week, since he lives here in the city. I finally had to tell them I was seeing someone, so I could have a night without him… I hope you don't mind," she said.

"Why would I mind? It's getting me away from Mimi and Roger's constant PDA," Mark joked. Liz just smiled. "Besides, I was planning on asking you out."

"Really?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Yeah… I was sort of waiting for the right moment," Mark said, blushing. She smiled at him and took his hand.

"Well, would it help if I told you I was planning on saying yes?"

A/n: Alright, I'm just repeating my warning from a previous chapter… after Tuesday there won't be any more updates for a while. I'm going to try to put up another chapter tomorrow, but this may very well be your last chapter for a few weeks.


	13. Chapter 13

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

"Mom, Dad, this is Mark," Liz said, smiling. Mark shook her father's hand with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Mark," her father said.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Mark replied. He pulled out one of the empty chairs for Liz and then proceeded to sit down next to her.

"So, Mark, what is it you do for a living?" Mr. Gordon asked, taking a sip from his water glass. They were about to have dinner in a very expensive Italian restaurant, and Mark was nervous.

"I'm a cameraman for channel five," Mark replied.

"We met at work… we've been working together for the past few months," Liz explained.

"That's nice," her mother replied, smiling.

"What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?" Mr. Gordon asked. Mark's eyes widened.

"Dad," Liz began.

"I'm just trying to make sure he isn't trying to take advantage of you."

"I wouldn't even think of taking advantage of your daughter, sir. My only intention at this point is to be her best friend," he replied. Liz smiled silently at him.

"So the two of you aren't serious yet?" her mother asked, hopeful. Liz rolled her eyes.

"Mother, stop it. We've only known each other a few weeks," she said.

"You told us that you were seeing each other exclusively," her father replied. She sighed.

"I never said that," Liz replied. "Honestly, I only told you that I was seeing Mark so you wouldn't ask Reginald to join us tonight. If you want to get into technicalities, Mark and I haven't even gone on our first date yet."

"So the two of you aren't dating? You lied to us?" her father asked, turning red. Mark took Liz's hand.

"Not technically, sir. We've been hanging out with each other for several weeks now, we just haven't had an official date," Mark replied.

"I wasn't talking to you," Mr. Gordon said. He was really upset. "Let's just eat. We can talk about this later."

"Or we can talk about it now. I don't like Reggie, Dad. He's a stuck-up prick, and nothing will change my opinion about him. I wish the two of you would just stop trying to force to two of us to be together and realize that I have a life of my own and I'm going to be with whoever I damn well please," Liz said, standing up. "I knew it was a bad idea to even invite the two of you to visit." She pulled out her keys and handed one to her father. "Just leave it in the mailbox in the morning. And don't try to call me, because I won't answer." She stood up and motioned for Mark to follow. "Let's go." Mark followed her silently out of the restaurant.

"Are you okay?" he asked, as they walked out into the street.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. They're so obsessed with appearances… they just don't give a shit about me," Liz replied. She ran a hand through her hair and then smiled at him. "Though I must say, it felt kind of nice to piss them off."

* * *

Mark smiled as he woke up with Liz's head resting gently on his chest. He gently shook her, because it was getting late. "Lizzie, wake up," he whispered. She yawned and opened her eyes.

"Morning," she said, sitting up.

"Morning," he replied, sitting up to kiss her.

"Thank you for not trying anything last night, Mark. It really means a lot to me that you respected me enough to leave me alone," she said. She kissed him. "Maybe soon we can get a little closer," she teased. Mark smiled.

"I think I like that idea," he replied. "We need to get up… work calls."

"Too bad we can't play hooky…" she began. Mark shook his head.

"I can't afford to play hooky. I'm saving up my vacation time to work on my next documentary. Whenever I get a decent idea," Mark said. He pulled himself away from Liz and stood up, walking over to his closet to get dressed. Mark heard Liz gasp as he pulled off his shirt.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "You're so skinny." Mark quickly covered himself with the shirt he was planning on wearing that day, without answering. Neither of them said another word until he was fully dressed.

"I lost a lot of weight while I was sick," he told her, not mentioning how much he'd lost since then.

A/n: Hey y'all! I'm back! I still won't be updating as often as I was, but I am going to try and update once a week or so.


	14. Chapter 14

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Okay, so I haven't been updating once a week. So sue me. I've been busy, not to mention the fact that I can't really stay on the computer for more than an hour or so at a time (I start feeling bad if I'm on for too long).

Mark watched through his camera lens as Liz did a goofy pirouette around the apartment. Seeing as it was Saturday and they were off, they'd gotten a bit bored. Which, for some reason, had led them into some strange behavior. Not to mention the Stoli Collins had supplied.

"I used to dance," Liz said, falling down on the couch very gracefully for a drunken woman. "I hated it. But my mom made me keep going. I had to do it for the pageants."

"Pageants?" Mark asked, smiling as he continued to film. He wound his camera up again to make sure he got her reply.

"Yep. I was first runner up for Miss Teen Connecticut when I was fifteen. I could have won the next year, but I sort of fractured my ankle… on purpose."

"Sounds desperate."

"If you'd seen my dress, you'd understand," she replied. Then she smiled at him and motioned for him to come closer. "Put down that camera and come here."

"Why should I?" he asked.

"Because if you don't, I'll chase you down and take the camera by force, and then I'll tape you acting like a drunken fool," she told him.

"And why on Earth would you want to do that?" he asked, egging her on more than anything else.

"Because you did the same thing to me. And I just want to see you squirm in front of the camera," she replied, getting up and coming towards him. He quickly put down the camera as she began to chase him around the room, laughing hysterically. This went on for several minutes, until Mark was forced to stop. He felt as though his lungs would literally explode.

"Stop…" he wheezed, dropping to the ground. Liz fell down next to him, still giggling. It took her a moment to realize what was going on.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her laughter stopping instantly. Mark was still breathing heavily, but it had eased enough that he could talk.

"Out of shape," he muttered. After a moment he forced himself to his feet and collapsed onto the couch. Liz once again followed him, gently lifting his head so that she could sit with his head in her lap. She gingerly stroked his hair and waited for his breath to even out. Despite her drunkenness, she could easily see how exhausted he was and how much he needed to sleep.

"Maybe you should go lie down for a bit. Catch up on some sleep," she suggested.

"Who needs sleep when you've got coffee?" he asked, a slight smile on his face.

"True. But we don't have coffee, so you need sleep," Liz said, forcing him to get off the couch and then pushing him into the bedroom. She laid down in the bed with him and pulled him closer to her. "Night, Mark."

"Night."

* * *

"Oh God," Liz muttered, walking out into the bright morning sunshine that radiated through the loft. "Who the hell invented the sun?"

"Ah, so Miss Priss finally got herself drunk," Collins said, an evil smile on his face.

"If you ever give us Stoli again, I will personally see to it that you are castrated," Liz replied, pouring herself a cup of orange juice.

"You and Mark are too much alike. He can't hold his alcohol, either," Collins said.

"Kiss my ass, Thomas."

"Let me guess… first hangover?"

"Since college," Liz replied, downing a bit of her juice. She made a face and put the glass down. "Oh God that's gross. I'm going to the Life for some coffee."

"Should we wake Mark, or are you the only one who had that much to drink last night?" Collins asked. Liz glanced back towards the door to Mark's room.

"We'd probably better wake him… but I don't know how drunk he got. I don't remember much of anything between the time we started drinking and when I woke up," Liz admitted, walking back towards the door. She went in and emerged again a few minutes later, a half-asleep Mark in tow. Without glasses.

"Where are we going?" he asked. Collins laughed. "Who's here?"

"It's just Collins. And I told you, we're going to the Life for coffee," Liz said. She turned and looked at him. "Where are your glasses?"

"I don't know. Did we lose them last night?" Mark asked.

"I don't know. Do you remember what we did last night?" Liz asked. Mark shook his head.

"Collins, do you remember?" he asked.

"I wasn't here, man. I didn't get home until you were asleep," Collins told him. Mark started looking around the room, although it didn't do him any good since he couldn't see very well without his glasses. Liz and Collins followed his lead, both in a hurry to find them so they could go get some coffee and end their misery.

"I found them," Collins said a few minutes later. He picked up the remnants of Mark's glasses with a sigh. "Either the two of you were really drunk, or someone had a fight with these and won."

Liz looked at the broken pieces in Collins's hands and suddenly remembered them falling off as Mark had hit the floor, panting to regain his breath the night before. "Shit."

"What?" Mark asked, coming over. He looked at the object in Collins's hand closely. "Damnit," he muttered, walking back toward the couch. He sat down without a word and closed his eyes. "I need those," he said, sighing.

"We'll get you another pair," Liz said.

"I can't afford another pair. And how the hell am I supposed to get them by Monday?" Mark asked. He stood up. "Let's just go get some coffee. Then I'll be able to think," he said. He walked off towards what he thought was the front door, but was really the bathroom. Collins just shook his head and went to rescue him before he did something stupid, like step into the toilet.


	15. Chapter 15

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

"Why did I bring you again?" Mark asked, shifting in his seat next to Maureen.

"Because someone had to come and make sure you didn't walk into the gynecologist's office by mistake. And I was the only one available," Maureen reminded him.

"Right. How much longer is this going to take? I don't have all day," Mark said.

"Marky, chill. And yeah, you do have all day, in case you forgot. It's not like you can go to work half blind."

"I could try."

"Yeah, and the entire city would end up watching a shot of Liz's chest as she talked. Or worse, a shot of the news van," Maureen joked. Mark just shook his head. "Oh come on, Marky, those vans are awful looking."

"Just do me a favor, okay Maureen? Stay the hell away from Liz. Last thing I need is for yet another of my girlfriends to start batting for the other team," Mark said. Maureen just nodded.

"I'll try. But I make no guarantees," Maureen said, a devious smile on her face.

"I'm serious, Maureen. Don't start flirting with her the way you flirt with everything else in a skirt," Mark said.

"All right. Gosh, Pookie, you're worse than Jo," Maureen sulked.

"I just don't want to lose her the way I lost you, Mo."

* * *

Roger growled and got out of bed to go stop whoever was banging at the door to the loft. It was eleven AM, and he hadn't slept well to begin with. "What?" he asked, somewhat harsher than necessary.

"Is Mark here?" Jeff asked, pushing his way into the apartment, his daughters in tow.

"No. Mo had to take him to get new glasses. Why?" Roger asked, still unsure of why his roommate's brother-in-law was standing in their living room, holding onto his daughters as though they were about to be torn away from him.

"Oh God. He was right, about Cindy. I can't believe I thought he was cracked," Jeff muttered. One of the girls was attempting to pull away from him.

"Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom!" she whined. He just nodded and let go. Roger led the small child to the door and then returned to the conversation he'd been having with Jeff.

"Jeff, what the hell is going on?" Roger asked. He watched in silent horror as Jeff lifted his other daughter's shirt to expose a large bruised area of her side. Roger hadn't seen bruises like those in years. Not since right after Mark moved in. "She did that, didn't she? That's why Mark was worried about them."

"I should have listened to him… he tried to warn me that this would happen," Jeff said, pulling down the girl's shirt and pulling her closer to him. Roger could see she was scared to death. "I have to take the girls somewhere safe." Jeff ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Just stay here for a while, man. At least until Mark gets back," Roger suggested.

"I need to get a hotel room, take care of some stuff," Jeff said.

"You can't go to a hotel. Cindy can track your credit cards. Just stay here and call the police," Roger said.

* * *

Mark stared at the ground as he walked, hating his new glasses. They didn't look right, but they were all he could afford. It was the first new pair he'd had since moving out of his parent's house. He'd gotten them the week before he left, but only at his mother's insistence.

_"Oh, honey, those glasses are so old they're about to fall apart! You need new ones before you start back to school," Mrs. Cohen said, dragging Mark along to the optometrist's office._

_"Mom, I like these glasses. They fit right," Mark said. She just rolled her eyes and made him go inside. _

Mark shook his head and tried not to think about it. That was the last time he'd seen his mother before she got sick, and the thought made him want to cry. If only he'd realized she'd never be the same. He would have gone home more often, been a better son. But he hadn't, and now he was left to deal with the fact that his mother never knew why he'd left in such a hurry, had never understood why he wouldn't come home to see her.

Mark couldn't stop his hands from shaking as he unlocked the door to the building. It was almost her birthday, and he'd forgotten until now. He'd never been the son he was supposed to be, and he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever let her know how much he loved her. It was too late now. She was gone.

Mark made his way up the stairs quickly. He could feel the tears burning as he held them at bay, willing them to go away. He wouldn't cry. Not now, months after the fact. He should have cried then, should have gotten it all out of his system so he could move on. He wouldn't cry.

He pulled open the door to the loft and went in, moving past the people he didn't notice asleep on the couch; his mind assumed that he was seeing Mimi and Roger. He didn't notice the suitcases by the door, either. Instead, he ignored his surroundings and made his way silently into his bedroom, closing the door to ensure some amount of privacy. Considering the fact that the walls were paper thin, it would really only serve to keep his roommates from walking in unannounced. He only had long enough to remove his jacket before Roger's insistent knocking filled the room.

"Mark?" Roger asked, pushing the door open just enough to stick his head in.

"Hey Roger. What's up?" Mark asked, throwing his jacket on the bed.

"Jeff's been waiting for you all morning. He caught Cindy hitting one of the girls," Roger said. Mark turned around to face his friend.

"I warned him," Mark said, sitting down on his bed.

"Yeah, I know. I saw the bruises… it's just like…" Roger began. He couldn't finish his sentence; he didn't even want to think about what he'd seen.

"She learned from the best," Mark said sarcastically. He sighed and got up, walking towards Roger and the door. He opened it wider and walked out into the living area of the loft, slowly making his way towards the sleeping forms of his brother-in-law and nieces.


	16. Chapter 16

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mark listened as his brother-in-law relayed what he'd seen that morning. "I didn't know what the hell else to do, so I brought the girls here," Jeff finished. Thankfully, Roger had taken the girls off to play in his room with him and Mimi, so they hadn't heard. Mark stood up and walked over to the phone. "What are you doing?"

"Calling the cops," Mark replied, nonchalantly.

"On your own sister?"

"She deserves it. I'm sure as hell not going to let her get away with this," Mark told him. Jeff nodded and got up to take the phone from him.

"I'll call. I'm their father, and it's my job to protect them," Jeff said. Mark just nodded and walked away, going into Roger's room to check on his nieces. He watched in silence as Mimi and the girls played with Roger's hair. Roger just sat there and took it, which Mark was grateful for.

"Uncle Mark, can we do your hair next?" one of the girls asked.

"Not now, Hannah. Maybe some other time. I have to go do some things in just a little bit," Mark replied. He walked down and sat next to his other niece, Jessica, and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Uncle Mark, why did Daddy bring us here?" Hannah asked. He swallowed hard and looked at her.

"Your mommy needs some time alone right now, so your daddy brought you here so she could be alone," Mark replied. He hated lying to his nieces, but it had to be done. Hannah was too young to understand, and he doubted that Jessica would be willing to talk about what had happened to her. He remembered all too well how awful it felt to realize a parent could be so cruel.

* * *

Liz bounded up the steps towards the loft. God, how she'd missed having Mark around. Without him, it seemed like there was never anything going on. "Mark?" she called, banging on the sliding door. After a minute, the door slid open to reveal Roger, who was carrying a sleeping, toe-headed little girl. "Who is she?" Liz asked, making her way into the apartment.

"Mark's niece, Hannah. Jessica's asleep on Mark's bed… do you think you could watch them until Mark and Jeff get back? Mimi and I have to go to work," Roger said. Liz just nodded and took the child away from Roger. Hannah didn't stir as Liz put her into Mark's bed next to her sister. She then went out of the room to talk to Roger.

"Where did they go?" Liz asked, keeping her voice down.

"Mark took Jeff to go have Cindy arrested. She… it's a long story. And one you'd probably be better off hearing from Mark. They should be home in an hour or so," Roger said. Liz just nodded and sat down on the couch to wait on Mark and Jeff.

* * *

"Wake up," Mark whispered, gently shaking Liz. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Hey sleepy."

"Hey. When did you get back?" she asked.

"About five minutes ago. Jeff and the girls are staying in my room tonight, which means we can either sleep in Roger's room and get kicked out in a few hours, or stay here and risk falling in the floor," Mark told her. Liz smiled deviously.

"This couch is pretty cozy," she told him. He smiled and laid down next to her, pulling her closer to him. "We'll talk in the morning, okay? I'd like to know what the hell's going on around here for once."

"Sounds good to me," Mark replied. He pulled the blanket Liz had been using over himself as well. He gently kissed her cheek. "Good night."

* * *

Mark opened his eyes and stared up into his niece's face. "Morning Hannah," he said, smiling.

"Who is she?" Hannah asked, pointing to Liz. Mark looked over and then smiled again.

"That's my friend Liz," he told her. He put a finger over his lips and motioned towards her. "Let's let her sleep, okay?"

"Okay," Hannah said. She watched as Mark untangled himself from the blanket and Liz's arms. He then proceeded to get up off of the couch and make his way into the kitchen. "What do we have for breakfast?"

"How about some Frosted Flakes and OJ?" Mark suggested.

"I don't like OJ… what is OJ?" Hannah asked. Mark couldn't help but laugh.

"It's orange juice. Do you like orange juice?" he asked. Hannah wrinkled her nose. "I'll take that as a no. Grape juice?"

"I only drink apple juice," Hannah said. Mark nodded and looked in the refrigerator.

"Sorry, honey, but it doesn't look like we have any. How about some milk?" he asked. She wrinkled her nose. "Okay, then it looks like you're going to get water, since your dad would kill me if I gave you coffee."

"What's coffee?" she asked. Mark sighed.

"It's something that adults drink to wake themselves up in the morning. It doesn't taste very good," he told her.

"I want some coffee, please," Hannah said, smiling.

"No."

"Please?" she begged, giving him the puppy-dog eyes. He shook his head. "Pretty please?" she asked, pouting just a bit.

"No. You are too young for coffee," he told her.

"Am not."

"Hannah, you're four. You can't have coffee until you're at least ten," Mark reasoned. She crossed her arms and pouted some more. "And don't even give me that face."

"Someone's grumpy," Liz said, sitting up.

"Someone wants coffee," Mark told her.

"So then make yourself some," Liz replied. She stood up and walked over towards the kitchen area. "And would you mind making me some, too? I'm exhausted."

"You didn't sleep well?" Mark asked.

"You did?"

"Touché."


	17. Chapter 17

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: I'm in such a mood today… I'm listening to The Mamas & the Papas… talk about a sober acid trip.

Liz woke up to the sound of Mark crying. She sat up. "No…" he muttered. She looked over at him. He was still asleep. "Noo… not him."

"Mark, wake up," she said, gently shaking him. He began to thrash around as though he was trying to get away from her.

"Please stop!" Mark called, still asleep.

"Mark, baby, please wake up," she said, louder. She began to shake him a little harder, praying that he would wake up. She moved away as he began to hit at her, trying to get away from her. "Mark, stop!" She got out of the bed and moved away, watching as he hit at something that wasn't there. "Mark…"

"Let go! Leave me alone!" he screamed. Collins ran into the room and attempted to restrain the smaller man. Liz watched as the black man held Mark still, trying to protect both of them. "Let me go!"

"Mark, calm down, it's Collins," the man said, attempting to calm the man before he could hurt anyone. "Wake up, man." After a few moments, Mark finally calmed down and opened his eyes.

"Wha..?"

"You okay man?" Collins asked, letting go of Mark and standing back up. Liz kept her distance. Mark just looked up at the two of them, trying to catch his breath before answering.

"What happened?"

"You freaked out… you were dreaming," Liz said. Mark turned to her.

"Oh God… Liz, I'm so sorry," he said, walking over to her. He pulled her into a gentle embrace. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"What was all of that?" she asked, whispering. Mark sighed.

"It was just a bad dream."

"That was a hell of a lot more than a bad dream, man," Collins said quietly. Mark turned to him. "If you don't tell the girl, I will, cause I'm pretty sure I know exactly what that was."

"You're going to want to sit down," Mark said, motioning toward the bed. Liz sat down, and he sat next to her. "I lost both of my parents a few months ago," Mark began. Liz nodded.

"I know."

"My dad… he died of alcohol poisoning. At my bar mitzvah, I caught him in the bathroom with his secretary…"

* * *

Mark stared out the window of the news van, watching the scenery fly past. For once they were actually going the speed limit, albeit on Long Island.

"Mark, maybe you should talk to someone," Liz whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear.

"It was a long time ago. I'm fine," Mark replied, also in a whisper.

"In case you forgot, I was one of the witnesses to your little dream last night. And that sure the hell wasn't fine," Liz said.

"Can we talk about this some other time?" Mark asked, rubbing his temples. He had a killer headache. Liz just sighed and pulled a bottle of Tylenol out of her purse. She handed it to him.

"You aren't going to get out of it, Mark. I know all of your little tricks," she replied.

"You've been spending too much time with Roger."

"Actually, it was Collins," she replied. "I'm being serious here."

"I'm just really stressed right now, what with Jeff and the girls and everything," Mark said. "I'll be fine just as soon as all of this blows over."

"I seriously doubt that this is going to go away, Mark," Liz told him. She glanced down at her watch. "You should take those," she said, motioning towards the Tylenol.

"I'll be okay," he said, handing the bottle back to her. She put it away silently.

"Just think about it, okay?"

"If it'll make you stop asking, I will," Mark replied, rubbing his temples again.

* * *

Roger and Mimi opened the loft door quietly, trying not to wake anyone up. Roger kissed Mimi and then made his way towards the open bathroom door. "I'll be there in a minute, I'm just going to cut off the light," he said, motioning toward the door Mimi just nodded and went into their room. Roger turned and pushed the door open a little more, to find Mark sitting on the floor.

"Shit, Mark sorry," Roger said, turning away. "I thought someone left the light on."

"Rog," Mark replied. He sounded so weak, Roger turned around and looked at his friend. He was shocked to see the blood flowing out of Mark's nose.

"What the fuck happened?" Roger asked, kneeling down next to his friend. He grabbed a towel off of the sink and tried to stop the bleeding.

"I don't know," Mark replied. "It just started bleeding." He took the towel from Roger and tried to get the blood off of his hands.

"How long has it been bleeding?" Roger asked.

"A couple of minutes? Maybe more?" Mark said. "I don't know." He leaned back and tried to stop the bleeding again.

"I'm getting Collins," Roger said. He started to get up.

"No," Mark said, grabbing his wrist. "It'll stop soon. Don't wake him up… you should just go to bed."

"No way, not until it stops," Roger replied. "Maybe I should call a doctor or something."

"No, I'll be okay," Mark said, even though he was beginning to feel dizzy. He closed his eyes in exhaustion. "It'll stop soon."

"What if it doesn't? How long do you want me to wait? Until you pass out? Maybe until you bleed to death?" Roger asked. "Mark, you've lost a lot of blood already. I'm calling." He walked out of the bathroom and over to the phone. Mark just sighed and tried to get up to follow him. It wasn't until his legs gave way and he fell that he realized Roger was probably right.

Roger rushed back into the bathroom and the sound of Mark falling against the wall. "Shit," he muttered. "Meems!" Mimi ran into the room. "Meems, call an ambulance."


	18. Chapter 18

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Thanks to Abby and DamagedGlory for the hugs!

Mark sat back and closed his eyes. "I told you it would stop," Mark said.

"You aren't getting out of this one, Mark," Roger told him. "The towel was soaked. You lost a lot of blood."

"But I quit bleeding. I'm fine," Mark replied.

"Mark, there's nothing fine about this. If I hadn't shown up, there's no telling what could have happened to you," Roger said. Mark rolled his eyes.

"Well then it's a good thing you showed up, isn't it?" Mark said, sarcastically.

* * *

Liz walked out of Mark's room and found Mimi asleep on the couch. She walked over and shook the younger girl. "Hey, have you seen Mark?" she asked. Mimi sat up and began to bite at her nails. "What?"

"Roger took him to the hospital this morning… When we got here this morning, he was in the bathroom. He looked like someone punched him in the nose," Mimi said. "He'd been bleeding for a while. I still haven't heard from them."

"How long ago was that?" Liz asked.

"About three," Mimi admitted. She got up. "I should have cleaned up." She walked towards the bathroom.

"I'll help you," Liz said, following her.

"Are you sure? You might not want to see this," Mimi said.

"I think I'll be okay," Liz replied. They went into the bathroom and began cleaning up the mess. Mimi was just glad that Roger hadn't left the towel sitting there.

* * *

"Mr. Cohen?" Mark opened his eyes and looked up at the doctor who had addressed him.

"Yeah."

"I'm Dr. Benton. Dr. Kennedy asked me to come talk to you. Your test results came back," the doctor said. "We should talk alone." He was looking at Roger.

"It's okay. He's my best friend," Mark said. The doctor just nodded and then sighed.

"Mr. Cohen, I'm afraid I have some bad news. The blood work came back showing that you have leukemia." Mark felt his chest constrict. It hurt to breathe.

"C..cancer?" he asked. Dr. Benton nodded.

"I'm very sorry. You're actually lucky… it looks like we caught it early. With treatment, you have a very good chance of beating it," the doctor told him. Mark just nodded.

"And without? How long would I have?" he asked.

"A year. Maybe more. But we've caught it in time," Dr. Benton reminded him.

"Thanks," Mark said, getting up. "Let's go, Roger."

"Mr. Cohen, you really should stay here, at least until you decide what you're going to do," Dr. Benton. Mark just put on his jacket.

"I have decided. Thanks. Roger, come on," Mark said.

"Mark, wait. What are you doing?" Roger asked, following Mark out of the room.

"We can't afford it. That's all there is to it, Roger," Mark replied.

"We'll find the money, Mark. Don't throw your life away."

"Roger, I already decided, okay? Let's just go."

"What are you going to tell Liz? How are you going to explain to her that you're just giving up without a fight?" Roger asked.

"Can we talk about this later? I just want to go home," Mark said. Roger continued to follow him out of the hospital. Mark headed towards the subway.

"No, we're taking a cab," Roger said.

"We can't afford that, either," Mark replied. Roger took him by the arm.

"I don't care if we can't afford it. The last thing we need is for you to pass out on the subway," Roger told him.

"I'm not going to pass out. You heard the doctor, I've got a year. I'm not dead yet," Mark replied, heading down into the subway.

* * *

"We're almost there," Roger said. Mark leaned against him, unable to hold himself up any more. "Just a little further."

"Don't let Liz see me," Mark said.

"Easier said than done," Roger replied. He pushed Mark just enough to get him up the last few stairs, and then helped him over to the door. Mimi opened the door just as Roger reached for the handle. "Help me get him in bed," Roger said to her. Mimi just nodded and put one of Mark's arms around her neck so she could help carry Mark's weight. "He's so exhausted."

"I'm still here you know," Mark said. "Where's Liz?"

"She went to work… We didn't know how long you guys would be, and she was driving me insane," Mimi said. "Shit Mark, how much weight have you lost?"

"None of your business."

"Mark," Roger said. "Ignore him, Meems. He's just pissed off."

"You wasted twenty bucks on a cab," Mark reminded him.

"Yeah, and now you see why I wanted to take the cab in the first place," Roger said. He and Mimi helped Mark into his bed, and then Mimi left the room. "Go to sleep."

"Don't tell anyone, okay Rog?" Mark asked.

"Mark…"

"Please. Just let me."

"Fine. But I'm not keeping this a secret forever," Roger told him.


	19. Chapter 19

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Liz leaned over and kissed Mark on the forehead. His eyes flickered open. "Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," she replied, pushing his hair off his forehead. "Mimi told me what happened. Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Mark replied.

"Roger said you slept most of the day," Liz told him.

"Didn't exactly get much sleep, did I?" Mark asked. Liz smiled.

"Good point. You feeling up to going out with me and Collins?" she asked. "We're going to meet Maureen and Joanne at the Life."

"That sounds good. Just let me change," Mark said. He sat up and started to get out of bed.

"Are you going to tell me the doctor said?" Liz asked. Mark sighed.

"Can it wait? I don't want to ruin tonight," Mark told her.

"If it's that bad, I'd rather you ruin things," Liz replied. He sighed again and sat down next to her. He pulled her closer to him.

"I have leukemia," he said. "Cancer."

Liz took a deep breath. "What are you going to do?" she asked. He sighed. "You're not going to do anything, are you?"

"I can't afford it. It takes all four of us just to have enough for AZT and food," Mark said.

"You made it before Roger was working," Liz reminded him.

"Yeah, and we didn't have enough for food every day," Mark reminded her.

"We'll find a way, Mark. You can't just give up," she said. "You have health insurance, so that'll cover part."

"But I'm going to lose my insurance if I can't work. If I go on all of those drugs, I'll be too sick to work," Mark told her.

"Just think about it, okay? I can get the money. I can't replace you," Liz told him. She kissed him. "When are you going to tell everyone else?"

"Roger already knows. I don't know when I'll tell the rest," Mark told her. Collins knocked on Mark's door.

"Stop it with the sappiness. I'm starving here!" he said. Mark just laughed.

* * *

"You should see it… we spent all day making it out of aluminum foil," Maureen said. "Mark, do you think you could come help Jo set up the sound system tomorrow?" Mark stared down into his drink, oblivious to her question. "Mark?"

"Huh?" he asked, looking up.

"Did you even hear a word I said?" Maureen asked.

"Sorry, Mo. I've just got a lot on my mind," Mark said. "What was your question?"

"Could you help Jo set up the sound system tomorrow?" she asked again.

"Yeah, after work," Mark said. Maureen smiled.

"Thanks, Pookie," she said. Mark looked down as Liz put her hand on his knee.

"I'll have everything out at the space by three, so whenever after that," Joanne told him. He nodded. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Mark said. "No."

"What did the doctor say?" Collins asked.

"What doctor?" Maureen asked.

"Why did you go to the doctor?" Joanne asked. Mark sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. It was going to be a long night.

"I woke up last night with a really bad nosebleed. Roger made me go to the hospital… the doctors ran some tests and stuff," Mark told them. They all just nodded. "I have c…cancer," he whispered, his voice cracking. He buried his face in his hands and began to cry. Liz moved her arm around him and let him cry as the others watched in stunned silence. After a few moments, the others began trying to comfort him as well. He finally calmed down and wiped away his tears. "Sorry."

"Don't be, Pookie. You have every right to be upset," Maureen said. She got up and gave him a hug. "Whatever you need, okay?"

"Same goes for me," Joanne told him. He smiled.

"Thanks."

"When are you starting chemo?" Joanne asked. His smile faded.

"I'm not," he replied. She stared at him, confused.

"What do you mean, you're not?"

"I can't afford it." Joanne shook her head.

"That isn't an excuse, Mark. We can find ways to pay," she told him.

"Please, don't make this your problem," he said. "I've already accepted it, okay? I have a year left, and I'd rather spend it working and having fun with you guys."

"Pookie, you can't be serious," Maureen said.

"What choice do I have?" Mark asked her.

"We'll find the money, Mark," Collins said.

"Where? You, Mimi, and Roger all have to spend your paychecks on AZT and food," Mark reminded him. Before Collins could reply he added, "And don't think I'm about to let any of you quit taking AZT."

"Don't worry about where it's going to come from, okay? We're not going to let you just give up," Joanne told him.

"It's not your choice to make, Jo. Please, guys, let's just talk about something else," he begged. He was getting sick of this conversation, and he still had to tell Mimi.

* * *

Mark stared across the news van at nothing. He wasn't in the mood to talk, especially not after dinner the night before. He just sat there, holding Liz's hand

"You guys are awfully quiet. Have a fight or something?" Jacob, the driver asked.

"No. Just not in the mood to talk," Liz said, replying for Mark. She squeezed his hand gently. He closed his eyes and laid his head back into the seat. After a few minutes, she turned and looked at Mark. "Oh my God. Jake, stop the van," she said.

"What?" Mark asked, sitting up. He felt light headed.

"Your nose," Liz replied, handing him a tissue. He reached up and felt the blood oozing out.

"Not again," he muttered, trying to clean up the blood. Jacob managed to pull the van over into a parking spot and he turned around.

"Are you okay man?" he asked, watching Mark.

"I'm fine. It'll stop soon," Mark said, more for his own benefit than anything else.


	20. Chapter 20

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Good grief, Abby. Read my mind why don't you! Thanks again to DamagedGlory for the hugs… Oooh, trivia time peoples! Alright, here's the question: Two members of the OBC have appeared in episodes of Law & Order: SVU (not counting Jesse L. Martin, who guest starred in a crossover episode only because he played Greene on regular L&O). First person to tell me names & episodes gets a hug… and a shout-out. Buy you've got to have both! I'll give you one hint – both were major characters in RENT.

Mark looked around the waiting room, nervous. "I changed my mind," he said, getting up and starting to walk out. Collins grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back.

"Mark, sit. Now," he said, using his teacher voice.

"I can't afford this, Collins," Mark said. "Let's just go."

"I told you, don't worry about the money. It's taken care of." Mark kept trying to get away. "Chill out, boy. Just sit down already." Finally, Mark gave up and sat back down.

"I don't want to do this," Mark said. He stared down at the floor. His head was beginning to hurt. "Seriously, let's get out of here. I'm getting a headache."

"All the more reason to go see the doctor," Collins said. He went back to the magazine he was reading. Mark just leaned back and continued surveying the other people in the room. They all looked so… _sick_. Mark just sighed and ran his hand through his hair, making it even more of a mess than usual. "It's okay, Mark. Doctors aren't so bad."

"I don't want to do this, seriously."

"You'll regret it if you don't," Collins told him.

"Mark Cohen," a nurse called. Mark didn't move, until Collins pushed him. Then he followed Mark to keep him from running away. The nurse led them into a small exam room and began taking Mark's vitals. When she was done, she smiled. "The doctor will be with you shortly." She turned and walked out, leaving the two men alone.

"_Please_, let's just leave," Mark begged. Collins was shocked. Mark never begged.

"No way. Now tell me, what's really bugging you?" Collins asked. Mark looked away. He tried to stare out the window, but Collins refused to let it go. "Spill."

"I'm scared. This makes it all real, you know?" Mark asked. Collins nodded.

"Yeah, man. You're preachin' to the choir on that one."

"I don't want to die. I just pretended to accept it… I didn't want to scare the girls," Mark admitted. He looked down at his hands. "I didn't want to admit that you and Roger and Mimi will probably outlive me."

"That's not going to happen," Collins said. "You'd have to get run over or mugged for that to happen."

"A week ago, I would have agreed with you. I have a year… the three of you could have decades," Mark said.

"Or weeks. There aren't any guarantees, Mark. You've seen it just as much as I have," Collins reminded him. Mark just nodded. "And if this doesn't work, at least you have some idea as to when it'll happen. We don't."

"I promised Roger I wouldn't leave him," Mark said. "One night when he was sick… he thought he was dying, and he made me promise not to leave him. He made me promise I wouldn't let him die alone."

"He won't. He has Mimi now," Collins reminded him.

"Mimi's lucky to be alive as it is," Mark said.

"So one day when you're not feeling well, con Maureen or Joanne into being there for him," Collins suggested. Mark just shook his head.

"I'm supposed to be there for him."

"And you have been. You've been there for a hell of a lot more than most people would put up with already. You aren't going to be letting anyone down," Collins said. He could feel a lump rising in his throat. Talking about mortality wasn't exactly something he liked discussing, especially not given the circumstances.

"Where did you get the money?" Mark asked, finally changing the subject.

"Roger begged his mom, and I sort of let it slip to some friends that you needed help," Collins said. Mark looked at him.

"Who?"

"No one special. Just some friends," Collins said.

"Please tell me you didn't call Benny," Mark said.

"We were desperate." Mark sighed and buried his head in his hands.

"I don't want to owe Benny anything," Mark said. "I didn't tell him for a reason."

"Mark, he owes you a hell of a lot more than he can ever pay back," Collins reasoned.

* * *

Mark sat down on the subway seat, glad it was the middle of the morning and the cars were mostly deserted. He looked down at the pamphlets full of information in his hands. "There's a meeting in an hour, if you want to go," Collins told him.

"I have a lot of reading to do," Mark replied, holding up the papers.

"Mark, if you ever needed to come, now would be the time," Collins said. Mark just nodded.

"Okay," he replied. He didn't want to argue with Collins about it. "I'll go."

* * *

"No camera today, Mark?" Paul asked.

"I'm not really in the mood anymore," Mark replied, sitting down next to Collins. For once, he was glad to see that Mimi and Roger weren't there. Sue, Ali, and Gordon seemed to be the only ones.

"Something's bothering you?" Paul asked. Mark just nodded. He turned as he heard the door open, to see Mimi and Roger come in. He closed his eyes and sighed. "You're more than welcome to talk about it." Mark waited until Mimi and Roger had a chance to sit down.

"I'm dying, and I'm scared as hell," Mark said, barely loud enough for the others to hear.

"When were you diagnosed?" Paul asked, assuming he meant that he had AIDS.

"A week ago. Leukemia," he clarified. Paul just nodded. Mimi, who had sat down next to him, took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "My mom died of breast cancer… they told her they'd caught it early, that her chances were good, but she still died anyway."

"Have you told your other friends?" Paul asked. He knew there were others who didn't come, just from listening to them talk.

"Yeah. I told them I was okay with it, that I'd accepted it," Mark said.

"But you haven't." It was a statement, not a question.

"How do you just accept the fact that you're going to die?"


	21. Chapter 21

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mark sat in the hospital bed shivering. "You'll be fine," Maureen assured him.

"It's surgery, Maureen."

"Mark, it'll be okay," she told him. She took his hand and squeezed it. "You'll be out before you know it."

"Just promise me you'll be there when I wake up," he said. She smiled at him.

"Of course I will be, Pookie. I wouldn't dream of being anywhere else," she said. He just nodded. An orderly came into the room, and Maureen kissed Mark's forehead. "I'll be there, I promise," she said. The orderly took Mark off to surgery and Maureen made her way to the waiting room.

* * *

"Hey Pookie," Maureen said, pushing the hair out of Mark's face. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Hey Mo." He closed his eyes again and grimaced. His shoulder hurt.

"It hurts?" she asked. He nodded. "Do you want me to go get a nurse?"

"No, just stay," he said. He reached up and took her hand. "Just be here." Maureen nodded and watched as he fell asleep.

* * *

Benny waited outside the hospital doors. Maureen had called him to come pick her and Mark up. He felt bad about the fact that Mark hadn't felt like he could share what was going on in his life, but Benny understood. He (meaning Benny) hadn't been the best of friends to any of the Bohemians lately. It felt like the only time he could show them any kindness was during a tragedy. And then only because he could bail them out.

Finally, a nurse wheeled Mark out the front door, with Maureen in tow. "Hey guys," he said, smiling. The nurse stopped the chair and helped Mark stand up. Benny immediately moved to help him. Mark shook his head.

"I've got it," he said, motioning for Benny to give him room. Benny obliged, even though he never let himself get too far away. Mark finally managed to get into the backseat of the Range Rover and Benny shut his door.

"Thank you," Maureen told him. He just nodded.

"Any time." The two got into the car and Benny drove back to the loft. Mark was asleep when they arrived, so Maureen called Roger to come down so they wouldn't have to wake him. Just before Roger walked out, Benny turned to Maureen. "Keep me posted, okay?" She nodded, and the three proceeded to carry Mark up the stairs and put him in his bed.

* * *

Mark opened his eyes and looked around. He was in his room, although he wasn't sure how he'd gotten there. The last thing he remembered was being in the back of Benny's car. He got up and walked out of the room and into the main part of the loft. Roger was sitting next to the windows, strumming his guitar aimlessly. He smiled when he saw Mark.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." Roger watched as Mark made his way to the kitchen.

"You need something?" he asked.

"I've got it," Mark replied. He refused to become dependent on his friends, at least for now. Roger watched as Mark filled a coffee cup with water and then made his way to sit next to the windows as well. "You aren't working tonight?"

"I took off. Collins had to stay late talking to some of his students, and I didn't want to leave you and Liz alone," Roger replied. "Just in case."

"Thanks. Where is she?" Mark asked.

"She went back to her place. She didn't want to disturb you tonight. Said she'd come by tomorrow after work," Roger told him. He nodded.

"I really need to go talk to them tomorrow," Mark said. Roger stared out the window.

"Hey, what you told Collins the other day… did I really do that?" Roger asked. Mark nodded. Roger sighed. "It's okay, Mark. I'm not going to hold you to it or anything."

"I know," Mark replied. He turned to look out the window as well.

"It'll be okay," Roger said. Mark smiled.

"Yeah, it will," he replied.

* * *

Mark stared up at the camera. He'd set it up so he could face it directly as he spoke. "My name is Mark, and I have a year to live," he began. "I don't know how to do this… normally I'm the one behind the camera, narrating. I wanted to do this for my friends… because this is probably my last chance to record what life is like in Alphabet City. I live in an industrial loft with three roommates… I'm the only one who isn't HIV-positive.

"Roger's been clean for almost three years now… he doesn't know how proud I am of him for quitting heroin. Mimi's only been clean for a year, but I know she'll stay that way… she loves Roger too much to go back to that life. And Collins… I'm not sure if he's ever even been on anything, other than the occasional joint." Mark smiled. "There used to be seven of us Bohemians. Angel died about 18 months ago. Mimi almost went next, but I guess it'll be me now." He turned towards his window. "Maureen and Joanne don't live here… Joanne's a lawyer, so they have a pretty nice place in another part of town. Maureen left me for Jo. It hurt, but I'm over it… we've needed Joanne a lot more than she'd ever realize.

"We also used to have Benny, but he married rich… he still comes around some. He owns the building, and most of the block, so I guess he has a right to. We usually only see him when things get fucked up… right after Angel died, when Mimi was sick… He showed up for me the other day." Mark stopped. "Liz is the newest… I guess you couldn't really call her a Bohemian. She lives her some times, but she still has an apartment across town. She's my girlfriend, I guess… we haven't really discussed it or anything, but I love her. I guess that would count, right?" He sighed and turned back to the camera. "This is our life." He reached up and turned off the camera, before turning back to the window. He kept simply staring for a while, until he heard someone come in. He got up and went to see who it was, desperate for the company.

A/n: Congratulations to Siofra22 for getting my question… The answers were Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Nocturne – he played Evan) and Anthony Rapp (Bound – he played Matt Spevak). Several people put Tracie Thoms – she wasn't OBC, and she wasn't on SVU, but she did appear in an episode of L&O, as did Taye Diggs. And as far as I can tell, Adam Pascal has never appeared in any of the L&O franchises. Thanks to everyone who reviewed with an answer. Maybe I'll put up another trivia question in a few chapters…


	22. Chapter 22

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mark leaned back and stared up at the television set attached to the wall. "I hate hospitals," Roger muttered. Mark turned and looked at where he was sitting across the room.

"You didn't have to come, you know," Mark told him.

"I know." Roger looked up at the TV for a moment, before turning back to his friend. "How are you?" he asked. Mark shrugged.

"Okay, I guess," he replied. He looked down at the IV attached to the port at his collarbone. "I'll be better when they take this thing out." Roger nodded. "How are you?" Roger smiled.

"Don't worry about me," he replied. He glanced back up at the TV. "I guess now I understand how you feel, knowing you're going to lose your best friend."

"Now do you understand why I always make you take your AZT?" Mark asked. Roger nodded. "Hey, Roger, promise me something, okay?"

"What?"

"Promise you won't let Liz get left out, okay? After I'm gone," Mark said. Roger shook his head.

"There's still a lot of time before you need to worry about that, Mark," Roger told him.

"Just promise me. We're all she's got here," Mark said. Roger nodded.

"Okay. I promise." Mark nodded and closed his eyes.

* * *

Roger watched as his normally pale friend became even paler. "Mark?" he asked. Mark only responded by closing his eyes. After a moment, he got up and ran to the bathroom. Roger followed him. "Mark?" The only reply he received was the sound of Mark retching. He went in and sat down on the floor next to his friend, waiting for it to stop. After a moment, Mark sat back and leaned against his friend. He was exhausted.

"Sorry," Mark said. Roger put his arm around him.

"It's not your fault. Don't be sorry," Roger told him. Mark suddenly leaned up and began again. Roger sat there and rubbed his back, hoping that he was helping. "It's okay," he said. Finally, Mark was finished. He leaned back against Roger and closed his eyes. "Hey, you can't go to sleep on the bathroom floor."

"I don't think I can make it back to my room," Mark admitted. Roger began to stand up, picking his friend up in the process. Mark let him, too weak to protest. Roger carried him back into his room and laid him down on the bed gently. "I can't do this, Rog."

"It'll get better," Roger told him. He didn't know if that was true or not, but he knew that was what Mark needed to hear. He covered his friend with the blankets from the bed. "You should get some sleep." As he went to walk away, Mark grabbed his hand.

"Please, just stay with me," he said. Roger nodded and sat down. "Collins told me you got the money from your mom." Roger sighed and looked down.

"Yeah. She… I…" he began, unable to finish his sentence.

"Thanks, okay? For making me do this," Mark told him. He just nodded.

"Our family just won't be the same without you," Roger said. Mark closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

Mark sat across from his boss. "You're sure you want to go through with this?" she asked. Mark just nodded.

"What choice do I have, Linda?" he asked. She sighed.

"You could just take medical leave. You would still have your job when you got better," she told him. He shook his head.

"You would be without a cameraman for months… it's just easier this way," Mark said.

"Just because this is easier doesn't mean it's the right choice. I can't guarantee that I'll have a job for you if you quit now," Linda told him.

"And I can't guarantee that I'll ever be back," he replied.

"If you quit, you lose your health insurance," she reminded him. He looked down at the floor and sighed. "Please just think about this, Mark. Medical leave guarantees that you'll still have your job when you get better." Mark shook his head.

"You actually think I'm going to get better?" he asked. She could hear the cynicism.

"I know it's possible. You'd do yourself a big favor by remembering that," Linda told him. He just nodded.

"Whatever."

* * *

Mark shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. Despite the fact that it was May, he was freezing. He pulled the coat tighter around himself as he approached the Life Café. He entered and camped out at a table near the back, ordering a tea. He sat there for a while before Jeff showed up. "You called?" he asked.

"Yeah. I've got to tell you something," Mark replied. Jeff sat down and ordered a coffee for himself. He stared at Mark for a moment.

"So, what's going on?"

"Jeff, I…" Mark began. He shook his head. He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Mark, what's going on?" Jeff asked. Mark took a deep breath.

"I'm dying," he whispered. Jeff just looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean? You look fine," Jeff replied. Mark just shook his head and pulled back his shirt so Jeff could see the port at his shoulder.

"I have cancer. Leukemia." Mark let go of his shirt and looked down at the tables. "I don't want the girls to see me like this."

"Mark…"

"Please. I don't want them to watch me die, too. It's bad enough they had to be there to see Mom die," Mark replied. Jeff just shook his head.

"How long have you known?" Jeff asked.

"About three weeks. I didn't want to say anything until everything with Cindy was settled," Mark replied. Jeff nodded.

"What am I supposed to tell the girls when the time comes?" he asked. "They won't understand. Hannah's been wanting to come see you."

"Just make it soon, okay? I don't want them to watch me die," Mark said. Jeff nodded.

"Call me if you need anything, okay? Whatever it is," Jeff told him. Mark nodded and stood up. He started to throw some money on the table, but Jeff stopped him. "I've got this."

"Thanks, Jeff."


	23. Chapter 23

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mark sat down on his bed, staring into the camera again. "It's been a month since I was diagnosed." He pulled a hand through his thinning hair, pulling out a large clump. "I started chemo a couple of weeks ago… as you can tell, my hair's going. It's been tough… Liz hasn't been around as much. I miss her. I hate having to depend on my friends for stuff. They've been great about it and all, but I feel like I'm using them.

"It's getting depressing, being home all the time. I try to get out and do stuff, but I just don't have the energy… Mo's working on another protest, and I've been trying to help her. Mostly I just end up sitting there telling Joanne how to do it. I sort of feel like they just ask me to help so I don't feel useless. It isn't really working, though." He looked down at his hands.

"I'm not ready to die… I don't want to leave them. Who'll remind Roger to take his AZT? Who will Maureen go to when she and Joanne have a fight? Who'll be there for Collins when he gets so drunk he forgets that Angel's gone?" Mark looked up, hearing someone enter the loft. He got up and turned off the camera, putting it away quickly. He didn't want his friends to know what he was doing… not yet.

"You hungry?" Roger asked, putting down a bag of groceries. Mark just shrugged. "You should try to eat, Mark. You've lost a lot of weight."

"Thanks for the tip," Mark said, sitting down on the couch. Roger put away the groceries and made a sandwich. He took it and put it down in front of Mark.

"Eat."

"Rog, please stop this. You know I can't," Mark said, getting up. He headed towards the bathroom. He was already beginning to feel sick. Roger watched as his friend closed the bathroom door, leaving the sandwich sitting where it was. He sighed and picked it up, putting it away in the refrigerator. Mark came out of the bathroom a minute later. "Is it gone?"

"I put it away," Roger told him. Mark nodded. "You've got to eat eventually."

"What's the point? Nothing stays down anyway," Mark replied. "It's only for a couple more weeks, anyway."

"What if it isn't?" Roger asked.

"If it doesn't work, I'm not trying again," Mark told him. "I can't take another round. I'm not even sure I can finish this round."

"Mark, if you quit you won't have a chance," Roger reminded him.

"What do I really have to live for anyway? I finished my film… you have Mimi now, Maureen and Joanne are doing great, Collins is getting over it finally. It's not like my mom expects grandkids anymore. I've done what I needed to do," Mark said.

"There's Liz," Roger replied.

"I haven't seen Liz in almost two weeks. You know that as well as I do," Mark said.

"She's afraid to lose you."

"Well it's a little late, isn't it? She left… she already lost me."

* * *

Collins stood outside of the studio, waiting for Liz to leave. She finally walked out, and headed towards the subway. He followed her.

"Liz," he called. She turned around and smiled.

"Hey Collins. How are you?" she asked.

"This ain't a social call, Liz." He sighed. "He misses you."

"What am I supposed to say to him, Collins?" she asked.

"I don't know. None of us do. But you're the only one who's running away."

"I'm not running away."

"You sure as hell haven't been there. He needs you right now. He needs all of us. So you need to get it together, or get over it, or whatever," Collins said. She started to walk away. "He's giving up, Liz. He doesn't think he has anything to live for anymore. He told Roger that if the chemo doesn't work, he isn't going to try again. It's because of you… he thinks you gave up on him."

"I didn't give up. I'll never give up," she replied, turning to face him.

"Then you had sure as hell better start showing it, girl. When you're around, he's the happiest I've ever seen him, even with all the shit he's been through the past few years. Don't just turn your back on him now," Collins said. He turned and started back towards the loft. After a moment, Liz followed him, running to catch up.

* * *

Mark looked down at the sandwich Roger had made earlier. He sighed and picked it up. It was turkey… he loved turkey sandwiches. He took a small bite and began to chew. He had to at least try. He was about to start on a second bite when he felt his stomach turn. He dropped the sandwich and ran into the bathroom, leaning over the toilet. _This is hell_. "Mark?" _Just fucking wonderful_.

Collins walked into the loft with Liz in tow. He looked around. "Hey Mark?" he called. The only response was the sound of Mark in the bathroom. "I've got to go take care of this," he told Liz, hurrying into the bathroom. Liz walked over to the mess in front of the couch and began to clean up the remains of the sandwich.

Mark was leaned over the toilet, panting, when Collins showed up. "Hey, hey, what happened?" Collins asked. Mark pushed his thinning hair out of his face.

"Tried… eat…" Mark panted. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. Collins got down on the floor next to him.

"Oh, man. And I brought you a visitor, too," Collins said. Mark shook his head.

"No… not like this," Mark said. Collins just nodded.

"Okay. I'll get her to come back later," Collins said. He got up and walked out of the bathroom, where Liz was cleaning up. "He doesn't want to see anyone right now… he's a mess," Collins explained. Liz just nodded.

"Okay. I'll come back tomorrow," she said, heading towards the door.

"Is that a promise?" Collins asked.

"Yeah. You can tell him I'll come," Liz said. Collins turned and headed back into the bathroom to help Mark. The boy had already fallen asleep against the cool tiles, and he was shivering.

"Damn, boy." Collins picked his friend up and carried him into his bedroom, putting him in bed and covering him up. He started out, but stopped at the sound of Mark's voice.

"Liz was here, wasn't she?" Mark asked.

"Yeah," Collins replied, turning around. "I… I tried to convince her that she shouldn't just leave you like this."

"Thanks, Collins," Mark said, drifting off to sleep yet again.

"Anytime, boy. Anytime."


	24. Chapter 24

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mark stared across the desk at the plaques on the wall. Roger had offered to come along, but Mark had decided that this was something he needed to do on his own. He needed time to process whatever he was told.

"Mr. Cohen," the doctor said, coming in the room. Mark forced a weak smile and ran his fingers through the small amount of hair he still had. "You look well."

"I'm doing better since I finished chemo," Mark replied.

"That's good. You've been eating?"

"Yeah. Can we just…" Mark began.

"Of course," the doctor replied, sitting down. He opened Mark's file and flipped through the pages for a moment until he found the sheet he was looking for. "I'm afraid that the chemotherapy didn't work as well as we had hoped."

"So, what does that mean?" Mark asked. The doctor sighed.

"It means that now we try something else. A bone marrow transplant," he said. Mark nodded. "It would mean another round of chemo, much stronger this time. And you would need to find a donor. Siblings generally work well."

"Yeah," Mark said. He looked down at the floor. The doctor nodded.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

Roger followed Mark back to the loft in silence. He wasn't sure what it all meant. Mark hadn't said a word to him since they left the doctor's office. "It didn't work, did it?" Roger asked as they started up the stairs to the loft.

"No," Mark replied. He kept his eyes on the stairs. If he concentrated on where he was going, he wouldn't have time to think about what was going to happen.

"So what now? What are you going to do?" Roger asked.

"I don't know." He stopped walking. "There's one more option, but I'd have to ask Cindy to help me." He thought for a moment. "I don't want to tell her. I don't want her involved in my life. And I sure as hell don't want her to have something to hold over me."

"It's worth a shot, though, right?"

"I'd have to do chemo again. I don't think I can handle it," Mark told him. He leaned against the banister. "I think this really is going to be the end, Rog."

"You really are just going to give up," Roger said. Mark sighed and started up the stairs again.

"What choice do I have?" He continued up the stairs and into the loft, Roger following behind him dutifully.

"Why does it have to be a sibling? Why couldn't someone else help you?" Roger asked.

"It doesn't have to be a sibling. It just has to be a match. A donor," Mark replied. "It's complicated, Roger."

"It's not like I don't have time."

"You have work," Mark said.

"It's my night off. Explain," Roger said. Mark sighed.

"The only option is a bone marrow transplant… they'd have to get rid of my own marrow with the chemo, and then replace it with marrow from someone else," Mark replied. "Cindy would be the first choice, because she's my sister."

"You wouldn't even be willing to ask her?" Roger asked.

"I don't ever even want to see her again, Rog. Especially not after what she did to Jessica," Mark replied.

"What about Jessica or Hannah?" he asked.

"What about them?"

"They're related to you… maybe one of them could be a match," Roger said. Mark shook his head.

"I'm not bringing them into this. They're too young to understand, and I'm not going to put then through that," Mark said. "I'll ask Maureen and Joanne, maybe some friends from work. Beyond that I don't really have anyone."

* * *

"_SPEAK_."

"Hey Mark, Roger, it's Joanne. Got your message, and we'd love to see you guys. How about tonight at the Life? Say around nine?"

"Hey Jo," Roger said, picking up the phone.

"Hey Rog. How are you guys holding up?" she asked.

"Okay… Mark's been locked in his room since he got back from the doctor. I just need to get him out, you know? He needs to live a little, while he has time," Roger told her.

"It was that bad?" she asked.

"It doesn't look like he'll be spending St. Patrick's Day getting drunk with us after all," he said. He heard her sigh over the phone.

"There aren't any more options?" she asked him. "What about bone marrow?"

"It's a long shot… he's refusing to ask Cindy, and he won't even think about seeing if the girls could," Roger said. Mark opened his bedroom door and came out. Roger could see that he'd been crying. "I'd better go. I'll see you guys soon." Roger hung up and smiled at Mark. "Feeling up to meeting Maureen and Joanne for dinner?"

"Sure," Mark said, walking over and getting a cup out of the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and downed it quickly. "I heard you talking to Jo." Roger sighed.

"She wanted to know. I didn't think you'd mind."

"One less person I have to explain to. Or two, when you consider that she'll tell Mo," Mark said. He put down the glass. "How the hell am I supposed to tell my family?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"My grandma needs to know. And Uncle Oscar," Mark said. Roger hadn't ever heard of these family members before.

"Maybe you should go see them," Roger said. Mark sighed and nodded.

"Maybe you're right."

A/n: Okay, this whole thing of doing multiple chapters a day is killing me. It's just too emotional… this isn't exactly an easy story to write, and I have to deal with a lot of this, and it's painful for me to bring up those memories. So yeah. I'm going to cut back on the updates for a while.


	25. Chapter 25

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mark sat down in the chair and looked through the plate of Plexiglas separating inmates from visitors. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. He'd told Roger he was going to help Maureen and Joanne set up, and had then gotten on a bus to Scarsdale. _It's worth a shot_. He waited as a guard led Cindy to a seat on the opposite side of the window. They both picked up the telephone on their respective side.

"What do you want?" Cindy asked.

"What a nice way to greet your brother," Mark replied, caustically. He sighed. "How are you?"

"What the hell do you care? You're the one who put me here," Cindy said. Mark shook his head and sighed.

"I didn't come here to fight with you, Cindy," Mark said. She rolled her eyes.

"Why the hell did you go and shave your head?" she asked.

"I didn't."

"Then what the hell happened to your hair?" she asked. He could tell she was just trying to annoy him, and it was starting to work.

"Chemo." Her face softened. "I wasn't even going to tell you, but I need your help."

"If you need money, it's Jeff you'll have to ask," Cindy replied. Mark shook his head.

"It isn't the money. I've only got one shot…a bone marrow transplant," he told her.

"And you need to know if I'm a match," Cindy finished. He nodded. She sighed. "Okay, I'll do it." She watched him through the glass for a moment. "It's the least I can do, after everything I've put you through."

"Thank you, Cindy."

* * *

Mark collapsed on the couch, exhausted. It had been a long day. He really hadn't been up to going to Scarsdale, but he knew it was something that had to be done. He closed his eyes for a moment. "Is he okay?" he heard Mimi ask. He forced his eyes open and found himself looking up at Mimi and Roger. He forced himself to sit up on the couch.

"I'm fine," he muttered. He got slowly to his feet and began slowly making his way to his bedroom. "I'm going to go to bed, I'm really tired," he told them. He started to close the door behind him, but Roger stopped it. He followed Mark into the room.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Roger asked. Mark just nodded and sat down on the side of his bed. Roger watched as he took off his glasses and began to shiver, despite the heat of the day. It was nearly June. Mark laid down and pulled the thick covers over himself. Roger let him be, for the moment.

* * *

Roger glanced over at Mark's closed bedroom door for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "Roger, if you're so worried, just go check on him," Mimi said, getting up off the couch and walking towards the room she shared with Roger.

"I just…" She rolled her eyes.

"Go check on him." Roger sighed and got up, walking quietly towards his friend's room. He opened the door slowly. He watched silently as his friend tossed and turned in the bed, sweat coating his nearly-bald head. Nevertheless, the thick layers of blankets were wrapped tightly around him and he shivered. Roger went over to the bed and gently tried to wake Mark.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, as Mark opened his eyes.

"Yeah," Mark whispered. His voice was unusually hoarse. Roger felt his forehead, and immediately realized that he was warm.

"You're running a fever," Roger told him. Mark just nodded and tried to wipe the sweat off of his face with the already damp blankets. "You're soaked. We should get you into something dry before you catch a cold. Or pneumonia again." Mark just nodded as Roger got him some dry clothing. He stayed wrapped in the blankets until Roger came back, and then quickly threw off his wet shirt to replace it with the dry one. Roger couldn't help but flinch when he saw Mark's ribs poking through his skin. "We've got to get some meat on your bones before you start chemo again."

"Tell me about it," Mark replied. Roger began stripping the wet blankets off the bed while Mark changed. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"You can't sleep under these… it'll defeat the purpose of you changing clothes in the first place," he said, pulling the sheets off as well. Mark just nodded and went to get his coat to put on.

* * *

Maureen and Joanne laughed at the story Collins had just told about one of his students. Mark was too absorbed in catching it all on film to know why they were laughing. "Marky, I know it's great and all that you're filming again, but why don't you sit down and eat dinner with the rest of us?" Maureen asked. She started making faces at the camera. He turned it off and put it down on the table, sitting down in his seat. None of them could believe that he was actually comfortable, seeing as it was June and he was sitting there in a sweater, his coat still on.

"So what are you filming for now?" Joanne asked, looking at the camera.

"Just to have something to do," he said. Maureen takes his camera and turns it back on, turning it on him.

"Zoom in on Mark, the world's worst liar, as we celebrate the fact that his sister is a match for a bone marrow transplant," she narrated. He smiled and hid his face from the camera.

"Mo, stop it!" he said, laughing. After a few moments she finally turned the camera off, putting it back down. The four friends finished their meals and conversations, which culminated in a small potato chip fight between Maureen and Collins as Mark filmed.

A/n: Hehehe… tortilla chip fights are better… until you get home and realize that someone stuffed a whole chip down your back while you were trying to protect your drink… that was an awesome night.


	26. Chapter 26

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mark leaned over his editing equipment, working in a frenzied silence. Collins sat on the couch grading papers, and Mimi and Roger were still asleep. "What are you working on?" Collins asked. Mark shrugged.

"Just editing some stuff I shot… no big deal," Mark said. It was a lie, but once again he wasn't ready to share his new film with his friends. He'd even turned off the sound so that no one would hear the secrets he'd told his camera. He didn't want them to know yet. After a while, Collins looked at his watch and sighed.

"I've gotta get to my office… you'll be okay until they decide to wake up?" he asked, gathering his papers.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Mark replied, not looking up from what he was doing. He watched the scene from a few nights before, when Maureen had turned the camera on him. For once, he decided to keep what she'd shot in. He could always take it out later. As soon as he heard Collins leave, he turned off his equipment and got out his camera. He climbed up the flight of stairs to the roof, his coat pulled tightly around him. He set up the camera and stared into it.

"The chemo didn't work. I didn't think it would. I'm having a bone marrow transplant… my sister Cindy's the donor. I start chemo again tomorrow." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm scared… even more so than last time. This time I know what to expect." He turned and stared off at the buildings surrounding him.

"Grandma and Uncle Oscar are coming to see me this afternoon. I'm meeting them for lunch at the Plaza." He smirked at the thought. "I have to tell them… they don't know yet. I was going to wait… I didn't want them to worry. But now… They have to know in case something happens." He sighed and turned back to the camera.

"Wouldn't it be more humane to just let them believe it's a freak thing if I…" Mark began. He found that he couldn't finish his sentence. He looked down at the ground. "I can't think about that now." He shut the camera off and made his way back downstairs quickly, nearly running over Roger as he entered the loft.

"Mark?" Roger asked. He followed the smaller man back to his bedroom. Mark put the camera away and began to change, trying to find something fairly decent to wear. "What's up?"

"I'm late," Mark replied.

"For what?"

"Lunch… Grandma and Uncle Oscar," Mark said, throwing an outfit onto the bed. He began to change clothes.

"Do you want someone to go with you?" Roger asked. Mark shook his head.

"This I've got to do by myself."

* * *

Mark made his way into the Plaza and back towards the restaurant his grandmother had told him. "Can I help you, sir?"

"I'm looking for my grandmother… Fischer," Mark said.

"This way, sir." Mark followed the man back to a table near the kitchen doors. His grandmother and uncle were already seated, waiting on him.

"Thank you," Mark said, hurrying over to his family. He gave his grandmother a quick hug before sitting down across the table from her.

"_Yeshula_, what on Earth did you do to your hair?" his grandmother asked.

"It's a long story, Grandma," Mark replied. She just nodded. The waiter came by and they ordered before she brought it up again.

"Alright, you've had a chance to catch your breath, now I want to hear what happened to your hair," she said. Mark nodded and took a deep breath.

"I've been sick," he said. "I found out a few months ago… I have cancer." They just stared at him for a moment. "Someone please say something."

"What is there to say?" his uncle asked. Mark could tell he was upset, though he couldn't pinpoint the exact reason. "How long ago is a few months?"

"Three. I start a second round of chemo tomorrow," Mark told him.

"And you just now decided to tell us?" his uncle asked. He sighed.

"I didn't know what to say, Uncle Oscar. I didn't want you all to worry," Mark replied. His uncle got up and walked out, leaving him alone with his grandmother. "I'm sorry, Grandma," Mark whispered. He started to get up, but she stopped him.

"Don't be sorry for things you can't control, _Yeshula_. He's just upset… he did just lose his sister, you know," she reminded him. Mark just nodded.

"How can I forget? I lost my mother to the same disease that's about to kill me."

* * *

"SPEAK."

"Hello? Oscar, I think this is the wrong number…"

"Grandma?" Mark asked, getting out of bed. He looked at the clock by his bed. _Five AM? Fuck._ He walked as quickly as he could and picked up the telephone, praying she was still there. "Hello?"

"_Yeshula_? Is that you?" his grandmother asked.

"Yeah, Grandma. What's up?" he asked, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He walked over and sat down in the green chair that was really mostly made of duct tape. He began picking at a small hole next to his leg.

"Oh, thank goodness we caught you," she said.

"Grandma, it's five in the morning," he told her, smiling. It was just like her to call without looking at the clock.

"Oh… right"

A/n: Okay so yeah, the end is just some randomness… I thought it would be funny.


	27. Chapter 27

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

A/n: Okay, so I didn't write for an entire day. And it felt good to not have to deal with this for a while. But I'm back, and I'm going to finish this story. So, here goes.

Mark stared into his camera for what could very well be the last time. "It's going to be August soon," he said. He sighed. "It's been a long few months… the second round of chemo wasn't as bad as the first, but I'm really scared about what's going to happen now. It's tomorrow.

"Collins and Roger have decided to get this place clean while I'm in the hospital. They've already managed to coat the entire bathroom in Lysol… the entire loft reeks. I told them if they came anywhere near my room with that shit, I'd kick their butts. They don't believe me.

"Liz hasn't come back since the night she and Collins found me in the bathroom. It's been more than two months… at this point, I don't even want her to come back. I thought she was different, you know? But just like everyone else, as soon as the shit hits the fan, she runs. Sure, Mo stuck around for a while, but she was with Joanne by that point anyway. Roger and Collins keep trying to make me tell them why I was so ready to just let myself die… I couldn't tell them that every relationship I've ever had has been a load of shit. They don't need to know that Mo wasn't the first person to leave me for another woman." Mark turned off the camera and laid down on the bed. He closed his eyes and unwittingly allowed himself to fall asleep.

* * *

"Mark?" Roger asked, knocking on the door of his friend's bedroom. When he didn't get an answer, he pushed the door open enough to stick his head in. Mark was asleep, and his camera was sitting out on the tripod. He sighed and went in to put away the camera.

"Roger?" Mark said, opening his eyes just enough to see his friend.

"Yeah. Need something?"

"No." Mark closed his eyes again. After a moment he force himself to get up. He took the camera out of Roger's hands and unloaded the film.

"What are you doing?" Roger asked.

"I've got some editing to do," Mark replied.

"You need to get some sleep," Roger reminded him.

"It won't take long. I've just got to add this to what I'm working on," Mark told him. Roger just nodded.

"Don't stay up too late," Roger said, walking out. Mark sighed and started working on the film again, keeping the sound turned off. He worked for an hour or so, editing and cutting together the different scenes he'd filmed over the course of the past week. When he was finished, he wound it onto a reel and put it in a plastic case. Then he wrote a quick note and taped it to the top of the film canister. He hid it under some of his clothes, where Roger would find it if anything happened to him. He'd left instructions in the letter, just in case. "You're still up," Roger told him, standing in the doorway.

"Just finished," Mark told him. He went over and got into his bed. Roger walked over and retrieved the canister from underneath the clothes. "Rog, just leave it."

"You'll lose it if you keep it there," Roger told him. He glanced down at the letter taped to it. "What's this?"

"Roger, it's nothing." Roger quickly read the letter.

"What is this?" he asked, looking up.

"It's nothing, okay?"

"Mark, nothing's going to happen to you. What is this?" Roger asked.

"It's just a film I made. Just put it back," Mark said. Roger opened it and started unrolling it, looking at the frames. "Roger, just put it back, please."

"Not until you tell me what this is." Mark looked away from his friend, and suddenly Roger understood. "This was your way of saying goodbye."

"You weren't supposed to find it unless something happened," Mark said. Roger sat down on the bed next to Mark.

"Mark, nothing is going to happen. You're going to be fine." Roger took the canister and shoved it under the bed. "It's going there, and once you're home we're burning it."

"I'm not burning it. I can use that footage for something else," Mark said.

"Mark, it's morbid," Roger replied.

"But it's my film. I'm not going to burn it. Just forget about it, okay? It's no big deal," Mark told him, lying down. "Just go do whatever it is you do at night."

"Goodnight, Mark," Roger said, getting up and walking out.

"Night, Roger," Mark mumbled, closing his eyes and going back to sleep.

* * *

Roger sat there and held Mimi's hands in his own, as Collins sat reading a James Joyce novel. Maureen and Joanne had gone down to the cafeteria for coffee. Mimi laid her head down on Roger's shoulder, and he kissed her forehead. "How are you?" Roger asked.

"I'm fine. How are you holding up? I mean, he's your best friend," Mimi said.

"I'm fine. I just wish they would tell us something." Almost as if on cue, the doctor came out.

"We're done with the first part of the procedure. They just attached his IV, and it should be done in about an hour. Everything is going just fine," the doctor told them. They smiled and thanked him. Maureen and Joanne walked up just as he left.

"Well, what did he say?" Maureen asked.

"Everything's fine. They've started his IV and it should be done in about an hour," Collins told her. She and Joanne just nodded and passed out the coffees. They all sat there, drinking in silence.

"I didn't realize it would take this long," Joanne said, glancing at her watch.

"What time are you supposed to be back at work?" Mimi asked. She shook her head.

"It isn't important. I'll just call in, say I'm not feeling well or something," Joanne said, pulling out her cell phone. She got up and walked towards the window at the other end of the waiting room.


	28. Chapter 28

**No Day But Today**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.

Mark smiled as Roger handed him his coat, even though no one could see through the surgical mask he was force to wear. "Thanks," he said. He ignored the fact that it looked like he was swimming in it.

"You could use some new clothes," Mimi whispered.

"Nah. These'll fit again soon," Mark replied. He pulled her into a hug. "It'll all be okay now, Meems. Nothing to worry about," he whispered. She smiled at him as she pulled away.

"Let's blow this joint," Roger said, putting his arm around Mark's shoulders.

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

* * *

Everyone watched the screen as Mark's picture flickered up for the final time. "It's been one hell of a year," the movie Mark said. "I was supposed to be dead by today, but I'm still here. I'm officially in remission for seven months. It seems like a lifetime to me. I went back to work a few months ago; Liz took a job in Chicago. I don't think she could stand to look at me any more. Or maybe it was because I refused to work with her again.

"No one can ever really understand what it's like if they haven't been there. They can pretend like they know what you're going through, they can pretend to be sympathetic. But in the end, they weren't there the days when you were so sick you just wanted to give up and die." They all watched in silence as movie Mark smiled back at the camera one last time. "Someone's got to tell them, though. Right?" They watched as images of the past year flickered across the screen. When it was over, they all sat there and stared at the screen in silence. Mark cut off the projector and turned the lights back on. Finally, Maureen spoke up.

"You do realize that if you don't send that in for a film festival, we're all going to kick your butt, right?" she asked him. He smiled.

"I already did," he said, pulling a letter out of his jacket pocket. "They want me to come out next month for it."

"What? Mark, that's great!" Maureen jumped up and hugged him, and the others all offered their congratulations as well.

* * *

"And call us as soon as you get to the hotel, okay?"

"Okay, Joanne," Mark replied. He smiled and gave her a quick hug before turning to Maureen.

"Have fun, Pookie," Maureen told him. Next it was Mimi.

"Just not too much, okay?" she said.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Roger told him, giving him a hug. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to Collins.

"Take care of yourself, man," Collins said. They embraced for a moment. "Go make Angel proud," Collins whispered, so that only Mark could hear.

"I will," Mark said. He pulled away and started towards the gate where his plane was boarding. "I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks," he called, waving. "And don't forget…"

"We know man, and we'll take the damn AZT. Now get out of here before the plane leaves you!" Collins said. He smiled at them one last time before disappearing through the gate.

THE END

A/n: Come on now, how could I let Mark die! If I did, there couldn't be a sequel! Not that I'm making any guarantees in that respect. But I like to leave my options open.

Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers, especially those who made me laugh, and Abby for trying to guess every plot point before it happened… and actually getting it right once (I swear, you are a mind-reader!).

Well, I'm off to actually relax for a while now that this is done. Maybe I can control myself enough to not start another one before the end of the week.


End file.
